This is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on library shelves before it was carefully scanned by Google as part of a project
to make the world's books discoverable online.
It has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain. A public domain book is one that was never subject
to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Public domain books
are our gateways to the past, representing a wealth of history, culture and knowledge that's often difficult to discover.
Marks, notations and other marginalia present in the original volume will appear in this file - a reminder of this book's long journey from the
publisher to a library and finally to you.
Usage guidelines
Google is proud to partner with libraries to digitize public domain materials and make them widely accessible. Public domain books belong to the
public and we are merely their custodians. Nevertheless, this work is expensive, so in order to keep providing this resource, we have taken steps to
prevent abuse by commercial parties, including placing technical restrictions on automated querying.
We also ask that you:
+ Make non-commercial use of the files We designed Google Book Search for use by individuals, and we request that you use these files for
personal, non-commercial purposes.
+ Refrain from automated querying Do not send automated queries of any sort to Google's system: If you are conducting research on machine
translation, optical character recognition or other areas where access to a large amount of text is helpful, please contact us. We encourage the
use of public domain materials for these purposes and may be able to help.
+ Maintain attribution The Google "watermark" you see on each file is essential for informing people about this project and helping them find
additional materials through Google Book Search. Please do not remove it.
+ Keep it legal Whatever your use, remember that you are responsible for ensuring that what you are doing is legal. Do not assume that just
because we believe a book is in the public domain for users in the United States, that the work is also in the public domain for users in other
countries. Whether a book is still in copyright varies from country to country, and we can't offer guidance on whether any specific use of
any specific book is allowed. Please do not assume that a book's appearance in Google Book Search means it can be used in any manner
anywhere in the world. Copyright infringement liability can be quite severe.
About Google Book Search
Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers
discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web
at|http: //books .google . com/
S1MFORD-VNIVHRSI1Y" OBRA.
f
I
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
MIKTBO BY BALLAWTYM* AMP COUTAVV
■r>iM>irir.>i and iohdom
History of Advertising
iFrom tte earliest QDunes.
ILLUSTRATED BY ANECDOTBS. CURIOUH SPRCJMENS. AND
aiOCRAPHlCAL NOTES^
^^^^ By
HENRY SAMPSON. 1
J
P
\ 1
^^^^K^^ WrrH ILLUBTRATIONB AND f
FACSIMILES. ^1
^H
lonboit:
■
HcHATTO
AND
WINDUS.
1874.
PICCADILLY.
A
234783
•'r •-•
« • • ■
%
TO
The Right Honousable
THOMAS MILNER GIBSON,
In humule re(X)GNITi<»i of the Important Services
IIK MAS RENDERKU TO THE CAUSE OF
ADVERTISING,
AS wLi.L AS TO Journalism generally,
IS RhSl'ECTFfLLY DHjICAI KI»,
i:y
His obedient Servant,
TriE ACTIIOR.
PREFACE.
T N presenting the following humble attempt at his-
-■■ tory-writing to the reader, I am selfish enough
to admit a preference for his tender mercy rather
than for his critical judgment. I would ask him to
remember that there are many almost insurmount-
able difficulties to be faced in the accomplishment of
a work like this, and a narrowed space adds to rather
than diminishes from their antagonistic power.
When the work was first proposed to me, it was
imagined that the subject could be fully disposed
of in less than five hundred pages. I have already
gone considerably over that number, and feel that
the charge of incompleteness may still be brought
against the book. But I also feel that if I had ex-
tended it to five thousand pages, the charge could
still have been made, for with such a subject actual
exhaustion cannot be expected ; and so, despite the
great quantity of unused material I have yet by mo,
I must rest satisfied with what I have done. I trust
the reader will be satisfied also.
PREFACE.
I
Almost ever>'body has in the course of his lifetime
discovered some sort of a pet advertisement without
which he considers no collection can be complete.
During the progress of this ** history" I have re-
ceived many hundreds such — have received sufHctent,
with accompanying notes, to fill a bigger volume
than this — and I can therefore imagine every fresh
reader turning to look for his favourite, and, in the
event of his finding it not, condemning the book un-
conditionally. I hope that in the event of a recon-
sideration some worthy representative will be found
occupying the missing one's place. In like manner,
and judging by my own friends* observations, I have
found that almost every one would have treated the
"history" differently, not only from my way but from
each other's. Every one would have done some-
thing wonderful with such a wonderful subject. It
will not be out of place perhaps, therefore, to ask the
reader to think, that because the system adopted has
not been that which would have suggested itself to
him, it is not necessarily the wrong one after all.
I have received much assistance during the time I
have been at work, in the way of hints and observa-
tions. For those which I have accepted, as well as
for those I have been compelled to reject, I hereby
tender my heartfelt tlianks. Little in the way of so-
called statistics of modern advertisers will be found
PREFACE. vii
in the book, as I fancy it is better to be silent than
to make untrustworthy statements ; and this remark
will particularly apply to the amounts of annual
outlay generally published in connection with the
names of large advertising firms. My own ex-
perience is that the firms or their managers are not
aware of the exact sums expended by them, or, if
they are, do not feel inclined to tell in anything but
the vaguest manner. Another observation I have
made is, that extensive advertising \s likely to result
in a desire for the exaggeration of facts — at all
events, so far as the individual advertisers themselves
are concerned. That any firm, tradesmen, manufac-
turers, agents, quacks, perfumers, patentees, or what-
ever they may be, pay a settled annual sum, no more
and no less, for advertising, I do not believe now,
whatever I may have done before commencing my
inquiries.
I have endeavoured as much as possible, and
wherever practicable, to make the advertisements
tell their own story. At the same time I have tried
hard to prevent waste of space, and so far have,
if in no other way, succeeded. This is but little
merit to claim, and if lam allowed that, I shall be
satisfied. Also, if my endeavour should lead to a
development of that laudable spirit of emulation so
apparent nowadays after the ice has been once
PREFACE.
broken, I shall be happy to supply any fresh adven-
turer with copious material which has grown up
during- the process of this "history," and which has
been omitted only Uirough lack of room. As far as
my judgment has allowed me, I have selected what
appeared best ; other tastes might lead to other re-
sults. With this I will take leave of a somewhat
unpleasant and apparently egotistical task ; and in
doing so beg to say that I trust to the reader's kind-
Iness, and hope he will overlook the blemishes of a
hurried and certainly an unpretentious work* which
may, however, be found to contain a little amusement
and some amount of inforrhation.
London, Sfptmbar 1S74.
H. S.
I
CONTENTS.
CRAP.
I. INTRODUCTORY — NEWSPAPERS AND NEWSPAPER AD
VERTISING .....
XI. INTRODUCTORY — STREET AND GENERAL AIA'ERTISING
in. ANCIENT FORMS OF ADVERTISING
IV. MEDT..EVAL AND OTHER VARIETIES OF AIA'ERTISING
V. NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING FORESHADOWED — ITS EAU
LIEST USE — HOUGHTON'S LESSUNS .
VI. DEVELOPMENT OF ADVERTISING .
Vn. CONCLUSION OF SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
VIIL EARLY PART OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
IX. MIDDLE OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
X. THE EDUCATION COMPLETED
XI. CURIOUS AND ECCENTRIC ADVERTISEMENTS
XIL SWINDLES AND HOAXES ....
XIH. THE GREAT BOTTLE-TRICK S\VINt>LE
XIV. QUACKS AND IMPOSTORS . . . •
19
33
43
61
94
120
142
240
304
3OS
373
C0N7ENTS.
XV, GRAHAM ANP tllS CELESTIAL BED
XVr. LOTTERIES AND LUTTEUV INSURANCE .
XVir. M.\THIM<JMAL ADVERTISEMENTS AND AGENCtEii
IVin. HANDBILLS, INSCRIPTIONS, ETC
XIX. AMKklCAN ANItCOLOSUL ADVI^RTISEMENTS
XX. AI'VtKbAKIA ....
5^7
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
CHAPTER L
INTRODUCTORY — NEWSPAPERS AND NEWSPAPER
ADVERTISING,
IT must be patent to erery one who takes the least interest
in the subject, that the study of so im(>ortant a branch
of our present system of commerce as advertising, with its
rise and growth, cannot fail to be full of interest Indeed
it is highly suggestive of amusement, as a reference to any
of our old newspapers, full as they are of quaint announce-
ments, untrammelled by the squcamishness of the present
age, will show. Advertising has, of course, within the last
fifty years, developed entirely new courses, and has become
an institution differing much from the arrangement in
whicli, so far as our references show, it first appeared in
this country ; its growth has been attended by an almost
entire revulsion of mode, and where we now gel long or short
announcements by the hundred, dictated by a spirit of busi-
ness, our fathers received statements couched in a style of
pure romance, which fully compensated for their compara-
tively meagre proportions. Of course, even in the present
day, and in the most pure-minded papers, ignorance, intoler-
JfjirV^y OF AD VERTlSmC.
ance, and /iyp^iVy exhibit themselves frequently, often to the
arausemeBt,.*but still more often to the annoyance and dis-
gust, d£ thinkers ; but in the good old days, when a spade
W^*4 spade, and when people did not seek to gloss over
. tfieil" weaknesses a.nd frivolities, as they do now, by a pre-
tence of virtue and coldness, which, after all, imposes only
on the weak and credulous, advertisements gave a reaj
insight into the life of the people ; and so, in the hope that
our researches will tend to dispel some of the mists which
still hang over the sayings and doings of folk who lived up
to comparatively modem days, we present this work to the
curious reader.
It is generally assumed — though the assumption has no
ground for existence beyond that so common amongst US|
that nothing exists of which we are ignorant — that advertise-
ments are of comparatively modem origia This idea has
probably been fostered in the public mind by the fact that
so little trouble has ever been taken by encyclopaedists to
discover anything about them ; and as time begets diffi-
culties in research, we are almost driven to regard the first
advertisement with which we are acquainted as the actual
inaugurator of a system which now has hardly any bounds.
That this is wrong will be shown most conclusively, and
even so far evidence is given by the statement, made by
Smith and others, that advertisements were published in
Greece and Rome in reference to the gladiatorial exhibi-
tions, so important a feature of the ancient days of those
once great countries. That these advertisements look the
form of what is now generally known as "billing," seems
most probable, and Rome must have often looked like a
modern country town when the advent of a c'u:cu£ or other
travelling company is first made known.
The first newspaper supposed to have been published iaj
England appeared in the reign of Queen Elizabeth during the
Spanish Armada panic. This journal was called the En^iski
Mtratrsf, and was by authority "imprinted at London h\
^
NEWSPAFERS, ETC,
Christopher Barker, Her Highnesses printer, 1583." This
paper was said to be started for the prevention of the fulmina-
tion of false reports, but it was more like a succession of
extraordinary gazettes, and had by no means the appearance
of a regular journal, as we understand the term. It was pro-
moted by Burleigh, and used by him to soothe, inform, or
exasperate the people as occasion required.* Periodicals
and papers really first came into general use during the
civil wars in the reign of Charles I., and in the time of the
Commonwealth ; in fact, each party had its organs, to dis-
scniin^te sentiments of loyalty, or to foster a spirit of
resistance against the inroads of power.f The country was
* This paj>cr seems to have been an imposttire, whicb, believed in
al the time, has been comparatively recently detected. A writer in the
Quartnfy Knnrut, June 1855, says, "The En^isk Mercuric of 1588
[QT- '5^3l> which professes to bave been published during those
momentous days when the Spanish Annada was hovering and wailing
to pounce upon our southern shores, contains amongst its items of
news three or four book advertisements, and these woutJ undoubtedly
have been the first pul forth in Englamd, were that newspaper genuine.
Mr Watts, of the Briiikh Xu^eum, has, however, proved that the
•evcrai numlKrs of this journal to be found in our national library are
froM forgeries ; and, indeed, the most inexperienced eye in such matters
can e&sily see that neither their type, paper, spelling, nor composition
axe mach more than one instead of upwards of two centuries and a
half old.'* Haydn also says, "Some copies of a publication are in
existence called the Kngluk Mercury, professing to come out umler tlic
aothoritj of Queen Elizabeth in 158S, the period of the Spanish An>
aktid*. The researches of Mr J. Watts, of the British Muwium, have
proved these to be forgeries, executed about, 1766. The full title of
No. 50 is ' 7Tt£ English Mtrcurig^ published by authoritic, for llie pre>
Tenlion of false reports, imprinted by Christopher Barker, Her High-
nesses printer. No. 50/ It describes the Spanish Armada, giving ' A
jottmal of what passed since the 31st of this niuntli, between Her
Majestie's fleet and that of Spayne, uansmilted by the Lord Uighe
Admiral to the Lordes of Council.' "
_* Quarterly mentions a paper which appeared late in the reigti
. I, : " The /fft'^^AVwj, published in London in 1622, was the
&M pabtication which answered to this description ; it contained.
4 ff/STOR Y or AD VEJi TISING. j
accordingly overflowed with tracts of every size and oia
various denominations, many of them displaying grea^^j
courage, and being written with uncommon ability. Mmn
a/ry vrsiS the prevailing title, generally qualified with somf 9
» epithet ; and the quaintness peculiar to the age is curiou5iy.J
exemplified in the names of some of the news-booVs, obA
they were called : the Dutch Spye^ the Scots Doi% the jRw-lS
liament Kiic^ the Screech Owie^ and the Parliamentary'
Screech Owle^ being instances in point. The list of M€r*\
t curies is almost too full for publication. There was Mer^y^
atritis Achcranticus, which brought tidings weekly from tbd*
infernal regions j there was Mercurius Democn'tus, whose''
information was supposed to be derived from the moon;!,
and among oihtv Mercuries there was the Mercurius Masiix^Xy
whose mission was to criticise all its namesakes. It was
■ not, however, until the reign of Queen Anne that a daily
paper existed in London — this was the Daily Courantf
which occupied the field alone for a long period, but
which ultimately found two rivals in the Daily Post anc
I J the Daily Jourmil^ the three being simultaneously publishec
I in 1734. This state of things continued with very little
change during the reign of George L, but publications o;
every kind increased abundantly during the reign of his
successor. The number of newspapers annually sold in
England, according to an average of three years endinj
■ with 1753, was 7,411,757; in 1760 it amounted to 9,464,790
I in 1767 it rose to 11,300,980; in 1790 it was as high as
' *4»035»636; and in 1792 it amounted to 15,005,760. Al
this time advertising was a growing art, and advertisements
were beginning to make themselves manifest as the maia
however, only a few scraps of foreign intelligence, and was quite de^
tulc of advertisements." And Oien, as if to prove what has been al
slated by (he Encyclopedia Britanntca, the writer goes on to say, " Tb
H terrible contest of the succeeding reign was the hotbed which fo:
H the press of this country into sudden life and extraordinary vigour.'
ft
155^
11 lit f
^'S5
Tt
2^=^
a r« "1 u -
• 1-^ CJ .1
2^<rvjs a 5 c '
S '^ 2-^ 2 ii tt
d tni* ^ H •■ u
%i • - -
k-f; I
"- ^S <! 8 ^ s e t«:<5.
p^ ^H
s v^
^ Q^
>f— ^e .
5 rf* S.9 V It
= » i! £-2
C ^
3§*§2
O 4/)
g »o
9 5^
St 5 * >^ **^'-$*
- '^ ».
^
2. **-» ■J
s-ifi--^
s
I
- 2 § 2 " 5
3-S3?
^
^tin
3^
c; .c.
%n
.^05 I
M « S ^
i-a"
a.
O
ii o 3
3 5
90
4
A^£iVSrAP£XS, ETC.
support and chief source of profit of newspapers, as well as
the moM natural chaonel of communication between the
buyers and sellers, the needing and supplying members of
A vast community.
The victories of Cromwell gave Scotland her first news-
pa.peT. This was called the Mercurius PoliticuSy and ap-
peared at Leith in October 1653 ; but it was in November
1654 transferred to Edinburgh, where it was continued
until the iilh April 1660, when it was rechristened, and
appeared as the Mercurius Pub/icus, This paper was but
% reprint, for the informatiou of the English soldiers, of a
London publication. But a newspaper of native manu-
dctitre, we are told by a contemporary writer, soon made
its appearance under the title of Mercurius CaUdonins,
The first number of this was published at Edinburgh on the
31st December 1660, and comprised, as its title sets forth,
** the affairs in agitation in Scotland, with a summary of
foreign intelligence." The publication, however, extended
to DO more than ten numbers, which, it is said by
Chambers, ** were very loyal, very illiterate, and very
aficcted." After the Revolution the custom was still 10
reprint in Scotland the papers published in London, an
economic way of doing business, which savours much of
the proverbial thrift peculiar to the Land o' Cakes. In
February 1699 the Edinbttrgh GaseUCy the first original
Scotch newspaper or periodical, was published by James
Watson, author of a *' History of Printing ; " but he, after
]>roducing forty numbers, transferred it to a Mr John Reid,
whose son continued to print the paper till even after the
Union. In February 1705, Watson, who seems to have
been what would now be called a promoter of newspapers,
established the Edinburgh Courant^ but relinquished it after
the publication of fifty-five numbers, and in September
1706 commenced the Scots Couranf^ with which he re-
mained connected until about 1718. To these papers were
added in October 1708 the Edinburgh Flyhts Post; in
HISTORY OF ADVEHTISINC.
August 1709 the Scots Postman^ " printed by David "Fecime
for John Moncur;" and in March 17 10 the North Tatier^
"printed by John Rcid for Samuel Colvil." In 1715 the
foundation was laid of the present splendid Glasgow press
by the establishment of the Courant^ but this did not in
any way affect the publications in tlie then far more im-
portant town of Edinburgh. In March 1714 Robert
Brown commenced the Edinburgh Gazette or Scots Posttnan^
which was published twice a week ; and in December 17 18
the Town Council gave an exclusive privilege to James
M'Ewcn to publish three times a week the Edinburgh
Evening Courani^ upon condition, however, that before
publication " the said James should give ane coppie of his
print to the magistrates." This journal is still published,
and it is but fair to assume that the original stipulation is
yet complied with. The Caledonian Mercury followed the
Coutnni on the 28th of April 1720, and was, like its fore-
nmner, a tri-weekly organ. In these, as well as in those
wc have mentioned, advertisements slowly but gradually
and surely began to make their appearance, and, as the
sequel proves, to show their value.
It is stated by several writers that the earliest Eng-
lish provincial newspaper is believed to be the Nor-
wich Postman^ which was published in 1706 at the
price of a penny, and which bore the quaint statement,
that a halfpenny would not be refused. Newspaper pro-
prietors, publishers, and editors were then evidently, so
far as Norwich is concerned, less strong than they are now
in their own conceit, and in their belief in the press as
an org.Tn of great power This Postman was followed in
1714 by the Nonvich Courant or Weekly Packet. York
and Leeds followed in 1720, Manchester in 1730, and
Oxford in 1740. It was not, however, until advertising
became an important branch of commercial speculation
that the provincial press began in any way to flourish.
Now the journals published in our largest country towns
NEWSPAPERS, ETC, 7
command extensive circulations, and are regarded by
many advertising agents, whose opinions are fairly worth
taking, as being much more remunerative media than our
best London papers. For certain purposes, and under
certain circumstances, the same may be said of colonial news-
papers, which have, of course, grown up with the colonies
in which they are published ; for it must be always borne in
mind thai the essence of advertising is to place your state-
ment where it is most likely to be seen by those most inter-
ested in ii, and so a newspaper with a very limited supply
of readers indeed is often more valuable to the advertiser
of peculiar wares or wants than one with ** the largest
circulation in the world," if that circulation does not reach
the class of readers most affected by those who pay for
publicity. It would seem, however, that the largest class
of advertisers, the general public, who employ no agents,
and who consider a large sale everything that is necessary,
ignore the argument of the true expert, and lose sight of
the fact that, no matter how extensive a circulation may be,
il is intrinsically useless unless flowing through the channel
which is fairly likely to effect the purpose for which the
advertisement is inserted. It is customary to see a sheet,
detached from the paper with which it is issued, full of
advertisements, which are, of course, unread by all but those
who are professedly readers of public announcements, and
who are also, of course, not only in a decided minority,
but cot at all the people to whom the notices are gene-
rally directed. The smallest modicum of thought will
show how grievous is the error which leads to such a result,
and how much belter it is to regard actual circulation but
as so much evidence as to the value of an advertisement
ly, and not as a whole, sole, and complete qualification.
It In any incautious way do those who arc most qualified
judge of value for money act Turn to any paper of
repute, and it will be seen that the professional adveniser,
the theatrical manager, the publisher, the auctioneer, and
8
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
the others whom constant practice has made wary, lay out
their money on quite a different principle from that of the
casual advertiser. They have learned their lesson, and if ,
they pay extra for position or insertion, ihcy know that,
their outlay is remunerative ; whereas, if it were not governed
by caution and system, it would be simply ruinous. In fact|
advertising is a most expensive luxury if not properly regu-
lated, and a most valuable adjunct when coolness and cal-
culation are brought to bear upon it as accessories.
The heavy duties originally imposed upon newspapers,
both on them and their advertisements, were at first a con-
siderable check to the number of notices appearing in them.
For, in the first place, the high price of the papers narrowed
the limits of their application ; ami, in the second, the extra
charge on the advertisements made them above the reach
of almost all but those who were themselves possessed of ^
means, or whose business it was to pander to the unholy
and libidinous desires of the wealthy. This, we fancy, will
be extensively proved by a reference to the following pages;
for while it is our endeavour to keep from this book all
really objectionable items, we are desirous that it shall place
before the reader a true picture of the times in which the
advertisements appeared j and we are not to be checked in
our duty by any false delicacy, or turned from the true
course by any squeamishness, which, unfortunately for us in
these days, but encourages the vices it attempts to ignore.
The stamp duty on newspapers was first imposed in 17 13,
and was one halfpenny for half a sheet or less, and one
penny " if larger than half a sheet and not exceeding a
whole sheet/' This duty was increased a halfpenny by an
Act of Parliament, 30 Geo. II. c 19 ; and by another Act,
16 Geo. III. c. 34, another halfpenny was added to the]
tax. This not being considered sufficient, a further addition]
of a halfpenny was made (29 Geo. III. c. 50), and in th<
thirt>'-seventh year of the same wise monarch's reign (c.
three-halfpence more was all at once placed to die d(
of newspaper readers, which brought the siim total of the
duty up to fourpence. An Act of 6 & 7 Will. IV. c 76
reduced this duty to one penny, with the provisoj however,
that when the sheet contained 1550 superficial inches on
cither side, an extra halfpenny was to be paid, and when it
ntained 2295, an extra penny. An additional halfpenny
also charged on a supplement, which may be regarded,
When the use of supplements in the present day is taken
into consideration, as an indirect tax on advertisements.
In 1855, by an Act 18 & 19 Vict c. 27, this stamp duty
was abolished, and immediately an immense number of
newspapers started into existence, most of which, however,
obtained but a most ephemeral being, and died away,
leaving no sign, 'inhere are, Iioweverj a large number of
and useful papers still flourishing, which would never
re been published but for the repeal of the newspaper
mp duty. To such repeal many rich men owe their
sperity, while to the same source may now be ascribed
poverty of numbers who were once affluent. At this
time, of course, the old papers also reduced their rates, and
om thence has grown a system of newspaper reading and
ivcrlising which twenty years ago could hardly have been
ginctl. Up to the repeal of the stamp duly few people
bought newspapers for themselves, and many newsvendors*
ief duty was to lend the Tim^s out for a penny per hour,
■hile a second or third day's newspaper was considered
quite a luxury by those whom business or habit compelled
to stay at home, and therefore who were unable to glance
over the news — generally while some impatient person was
scowlingly waiting his turn—at the tavern bar or the coffee-
house. Now aUnost every one buys a penny paper for
himself, and with the increase in the circulation of news-
pers has, in proportionate ratio, gone on the increase in
e demand for advertisements. The supply has, as every
One knows, been in no way short of the demand. The
repeal of the paper duty in 1861 also affected newspapers
mSTORV OF ADVJERTISLVG.
much, though naturally in a smaller degree than the aboli-
tion of the compulsory stamp. Still the effect on both the
papers and their advertisements — especially as concerns
those journals which were enabled to still farther reduce
their raits — was considerable, and deserves to be noted.
In September 1870 the compulsory stamps which had been
retained for postal purposes, was abolished, and on the 1st
of October papers were first sent by post with a halfpenny
stamp affixed on the wrappers, and not on the journals
themselves.
But it was to the abolition of the impost upon advertise-
ments that their present great demand and importance can
be most directly traced. For many years a very heavy tax
was charged upon every notice published in a paper and
paid for, until 1833 no less than js. 6d. being chargeable
upon each advertisement inserted, no matter what its length
or subject-matter. People then, we should imagine — in fact,
as application to ihe papers of that time proves — were not so
fond of cutting a long advertisement into short and separate
pieces as they arc now, for every cut-off rule then meant a
charge of 3s. 6d. In 1832, the last year of this charge, the
produce of this branch of the revenue in Great Britain and
Ireland amounted to ;£'i7o,649. Fancy what the returns
would be if 3s. 6d. were charged on every advertisement
published throughout the United Kingdom for the year
ending December 31, 1873 ! It seems almost too great a
sum for calculation. There is no doubt, however, that
many people would be very glad to do the figures for a
very slight percentage on the returns, which would be
fabulous, and which would, if properly calculated, amaze
many of those laiuiafores temporis acti who, without reason or
provocation, are always deploring the decay of ever^'thing,
and who would unhesitatingly affirm in their ignorance that
even newspapers and newspaper advertisements have dete-
riorated in tone and quantity since the good old times, of
which they prove they know nothing by their persistent
NEWSfAPERS, ETC,
II
pcaises. Certainly if they did say this, they would not be
much more wrong than they are generally when lamenting
over a period which, could it but return, they would be,
as a rule, the very first to object to. Of the sum of
;f 170,649 just referred to, about £121,^^6^ or three-fourths
of the whole, may be regarded as being drawn from news-
papers, and the other fourth from periodical publications.
In 1837, four years after the reduced charge of is. 6d. for
each advertisement had become law, a table was compiled
from the detailed returns of the first six months. As it
will doubtless prove interesting to those who take an interest
in the growth and increase of newspapers, as well as in those
of advertisements, we append it : —
London Papers,
English Provincial Papers^
Welsh Papers.
Edinburgh Papers,
Scotch Provincial Papers,
Dublin Papers,
Irish Provincial Papers,...
Total in Great Britain
9315,100,197
217,
10!
46
21
60;
7,290,452
190^955
768,071
1,121,658
i.493»838
1,049,358
and Inland, [ j 460,27,014,529
292.033
317,474
6,499
20,579
45,37»
45,848
41,284
i
2 =
;^2 1,902 9
23,810 II
487 6
1.543 9
3,402 16
2,292 8
2,064 4
769,088 ;^55.503 5 2
The reduction to which we have alluded was followed in
1853 by the total abolition of the advertisement duty, the
effect of which can be best appreciated by a glance at the
columns of any daily or weekly paper, class or general,
which possesses a good circulation.
The first paper published in Ireland was a sheet called
Warranted Tidings from Ireland^ and this appeared during
WSTOHV OF ADVERTISING,
the rebellion of 1641 ] but the first Irish newspaper worthy
of the name was the Dublin Navsletier^ commenced in
1685. Puis Occurrences, a Dublin daily paper, originated in
1700, was continued for half a century, and was followed in
1728 by another daily paper, Fauihtcr^s Journal, established
by one George Faulkner, ** a man celebrated for the good-
ness of his heart and the weakness of his head." The oldest
existing Dublin papers are Saunders s (originally EsdaiUs)
NeivsUiter, begun in 1744, and the Freeman^ s Journal, insti-
tuted under the title of the Public Register, by Dr Lucas in
1755. The Limerick Chronicle^ the oldest Irish provincial
newspaper, dates from 1768. Ireland has now nearly 150
newspapers, most of them celebrated for the energy of
their language and the extreme fervour of their political
opinions. Their Conservatism and IJberalism are nearly
equally divided; about a score take independent views,
and nearly fifty completely eschew politics. Irish newspapers
flourish as vehicles for advertisement, and their tariffs are ^
about on a par with those of our leading provincial joumalst H
Colonial newspapers are plentiful and good, and the best
of them filled with advertisements of a general character at
fairly high rates. Those papers published in Melbourne
are perhaps the best specimens of colonial journalism, and
best among these are the Argtis and Age (daily), and the
Australasian and Leader (weekly). In fact, we have hardly
a weekly paper in London that is fit to compare on all-roun4
merits with the last-named, which is a complete representa-
tive of the best class of Australian life, and contains a great ^
show of advertisements, which do much to enlighten the ■
reader as to Antipodean manners and customs.
American newspapers are of course plentiful, and their
advertisements, as will be shown during the progress of]
this volume, are often of an almost unique character-
Throughout the United States, newspapers start up likej
rockets, to fall like sticks; but now and then a success {%•
made, and if once Fortune is secured by an adveaturouj
N£WSPAPE/iS, ETC.
n
speculator, she is rarely indeed allowed to escape. The
sj'stem of work on American (U.S.) journals is very dif-
ferent from that pursued here, cver>thing on sucii estab-
lishments as those of the N'nv York I/era/dy the Trihwr,
and the Times, being sacrificed to news. This is more
paiticulaily the case with regard to the HeraU, which has
an immense circulation and great numbers of highly-priced
advertisements, most of which are unfortunately regarded
more in connection with the amount of money they produce
lo the proprietor than in reference to any effect, moral or
otherwise, they may have on the community. It is the
boost of American journalists that they have papers in
obscure towns many hundreds of miles inland, any one of
which contains in a single issue as much news — news in the
strictest meaning of the word — as the London Times di
in six. And, singular as it may at first sight seem, there is'
a great element of truth about the statement, the telegraph
being used in the States with a liberaHty which would drive
an English proprietor to the depths of black despair. The
Associated Telegraph Company seem to enjoy a monopoly,
and to exercise almost unlimited powers \ and not long ago
they almost completely ruined a journal of standing in Cali-
Ibmia by refusing to transmit inteUigence to it because its
editor and proprietor had taken exception to the acts of
some members of the Associated Telegraph Company's staff,
and It was only on receipt of a most abject apology from
the delinquents that the most autocratic power in the States
decided to reinstate the paper on its list. This Telegraph
Company charges very high rates, and the only visible
means by which this system of journalism is successfully
carried out is that of advertisements, which are compara-
tively more plentiful in these papers than in the English,
and are charged for at considerably higher rates. Some of
these newspapers, notably a small hebdomadal called the
San Francisco Neu'slctttr, go in for a deliberate system of
blackmailing, and have no hesitation in acknowledging
w
H
HISTORY OF ADFERTJShWG.
^
that their pages, not the advertisement portions, but their
editorial columns, are to be bought for any purpose — for
the promotion of blasphemy, obscenity, atheism, or any
other " notion" — at a price which is regulated according to
the editor's opinion of the former*s value, or the amount of
money he may have in his pocket at the time. This is a
system of advertising little known, happily, in this "effete
old country," where we have not yet learned to sacrifice all
that should be dear and honourable to humanity — openly,
at all events — for a money consideration. It is almost^
impossible to tell the number of papers published through^fl
out the United Stales of America, each individual State^"
being hardly aware of the quantity it contains, or how
many have been born and died within the current twelve^ ^
months. The Americans arc a truly great people, but thejrW
have not yet settled down into a regular system, so far,
at all events, as newspapers and advertisements are con*H
cemed.* ^
The first paper published in America is said to have been
the Boston Newsletter^ which made its appearance in 1704.
The inhabitants of the United States have ever been wideiM
awake to the advantages of advertising, but it would seem
that the Empire City is not, as is generally supposed here,
first in rank, so far as the speculative powers of its denizens
go, if we are to believe the New Orleans correspondent of
the New York Tribune^ who says in one of his letters :
• In 1830 America (U.S.), whose population was 23,500,000, sup-
ported 800 newspapers, 50 of these being daily ; and the conjoined
auDual circulation was 64,000,000. Fifteen years later these figures
were consivierably increased — nearly doubled ; but since the develop-
ment of the Pacihc States it has been almost impossible to tell the
number of papers which have sprung into existence, every mining camp
and every village bein^ possessed of its organ, some of which have died,
and some of whicli are still nourishing. A professcl and apparent!
competent critic assures us that there arc quite 3000 newspapen no
in the States, and that at least a lithe of ibem are dailies.
1
NEWSPAPERS, ETC.
IS
"The merchants of New Orleans axe far more liberal in
advertising than those of your city, and it is they alone
which support most of our papers. One firm in this city,
in the rirug business, expends 20,000 dollars a year in job
printing, and 30,000 dollars in advertising. A clothing
finn has expended 50,000 dollars in advertising in six
months. Both establishments are now enjoying the lion's
share of patronage, and are determined to continue such
profits and investments. A corn doctor is advertising at
over 10,000 dollars a month, and the proprietor of a 'comer
grocery' on the outskirts of the city has found it advan-
tageous to advertise to the extent of 7000 dollars during
the past winter."
In London the Times and Teligraph absorb the lion's
share of the advertiser's money. The former, the leading
journal of the day, of independent politics and magnificent
proportions, stands forth first, and, to use a sporting phrase,
has no second, so far is it in front of all others as regards
advertisements, as well as on other grounds. An average
number of the Tunts contains about 2500 advertisements,
counting between every cut-off rule ; and the receipts in
ihe advertisement department are said to be about ;£^iooo
a day, or 8i each. A number of the Daily Telegraph
in December 1873 contains 1444 advertisements (also
counting between every cut-off rule), and these may fairly
be calculated to produce j£soo or thereabouts, the tariff
being throughout little less than that of the Times ; for what
it lacks in power and influence the Telegraph is supposed
to make up in circulation. This is rather a change for
the organ of Peterborowgh Court, which little more than
eighteen years ago was started with good advertisements to
the extent of seven shiUings and sixpence. The Telegraph
proprietors do not, however, get all the profit out of the
advertisements, for in its early and struggling days they
were glad, naturally, to close with advertisement agents, who
agreed to take so many columns a day at the then trade
a
16 mSTORY OF ADVERTISING.
price, and who now have a vast deal the best of the bargai
To such lucky accidents, which occur often in the newspa
world, are due the happy positions of some men, who li
upon the profits accruing from their columns, and ride i
neat broughams, oblivious of the days when they went can^
vassing afoot, and have almost brought themselves to the
belief that they are gentlemen, and always were such. This
must be the only bitter drop in the cup of the otherwise
happy possessors of the Ttle^aph^ which is at once a mine
of wealth to them, and an instrument by which they become
quite a power in the state. They can, however, well afford
the lucky advertisement-agents their pro6ts, and, lookinj
back, may rest satisfied tliat things are as they are.
But there are many daily papers in London besides the
Times and Tehgrapky and all these receive a plentiful share^_
of advertisements. The Standard has, within the past feni^l
years, developed its resources wonderfully, and may be^l
now considered a good fair third in the race for wealth,
and not by any means a distant third, so far as the Tele-
graph is concerned. This paper has a most extensive j
circulation, being the only cheap Conservative organ ix^^|
London, if we may except the Houry and as it offers to^^
advertisers a repetition of their notices in the Evening
Standard^ it is not surprising that, spacious as are its adver-
tisement columns, it manages to fill them constantly, and at
a rate which would have considerably astonished its old pro-
prietors. The Daily Neivs, which a few years back reduced^J
its price to one penny, has, since the Franco-Prussian war^^l
been picking up wonderfully, and with its increased health
as a paper its outer columns have proportionally improved
in appearance; many experienced advertisers have a grc
regard for the A^avs, which they look upon as offering
good return for investments. The Morning Adx'eriiser^ as
the organ of the licensed victuallers, is of course an invalu-
able medium of inter-communication among members ol
** the trade," and in it are to be found advertisements 01
A
«<
NEWSPAPERS, ETC,
«7
^eiything to be obUiDcd in connection with the distillery^
ic brewery, and the tavern. Publicans who want potboys,
id potboys who want employers, barmaids, barmen, and
M)ple in want of "snug" businesses, or with "good family
Sides*' to dispose of, all consult the ^Tiser^ which is under
[e special supervision of a committee of licensed victuallers,
DO act as stewards, and annually hand over the profits
f the Licensed Victuallers* School An important body is
is committee^ a body which feels that the eye of Europe
npon it, and which therefore takes copious notes of
rcrylhing j is broad wideawake, and is not to be imposed
1. But it is a kindly and beneficent body, as its purpose
LOWS ; and a little licence can well be afforded to a cora-
|ttec which gives its time and trouble, to say nothing of
idog its money, in the interest of the widow and the
thcriess. A few years back great fun used to be got out
'tfic *Tiser^ or the " Gin and Gospel Gazette," as it was
Bed, on account of its peculiar views on current ques-
ts ; but all that is altered now, and since the advent of
e present regime the Adveriiser has improved sufficiently
be regarded as a general paper, and tlicrefore as a general
.vertising medium. The Hour is a new journal, started in
jposition to the Standard^ and professing the same politics.
is hardly within our ken so far, and the same may be said
the Morning Post^ which has its own exclusive cliaitlie.
I referring to the foregoing journals, we have made no
marks beyond those to which we are guided by their own
ibltshed statements, and we have intended nothing in-
iious in the order of selection. For obvious reasons we
all say nothing of the evening papers, beyond that all
em to fill their advertisement columns with ease, and to
! excellent mediums of publicity.
The weekly press and the provincial press can tell their
ra story without assistance. In the former the advertisc-
enls are fairly classed, according to the pretensions of the
.pcfs or the cause they adopt, while with the provincials
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
it is the story of the London dailies told over again. Man-
chester and Liverpool possess magnificent journals, full of
advertisements and of large circulation, and so do all other
large towns in the country; but we doubt much if, out of
London, Glasgow is to be beaten on the score of its papers
or the energy of its advertisers.
CHAPTER II.
iKTRODUCTORY — STREET AND GENERAL
ADVERTISING,
:ems indeed singular that we are obliged to regard
idvertising as a comparatively modem institution ; for,
1 be shown in the progress of this work, the first ad-
ent which can be depended upon as being what it
s to be was, so far as can be discovered, published
ch more than two hundred years ago. But though
not find any instances of business notices appearing
before the middle of the seventeenth century,
l>ccause there were not, so far as our knowledge
papers in which to advertise, there is little doubt that
ire among tradesmen and merchants to make good
wares has had an existence almost as long as the
of buying and selling, and it is but natural to
»osc that advertisements in some sljape or form have
not only from time immemorial, but almost for all
Signs over shops and stalls seem naturally to have
tlie first efforts in the direction of advertisements, and
back to the remotest portions of the world's his-
Fublic notices also were posted about in the first
f the children of Israel, the utterances of the kings
phets being inscribed on parchments and exposed
high places of the cities. It was also customary,
the Christian era, for a scroll to be exhibited when
the Passion or other sacred plays were about to be
ed, and comparatively recently we have received
c intelligence that in Pompeii and similar places
I
20
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
advertising by means of signs and inscriptions was qm
common. The " History of Signboards," a very exhaustii
and valuable book, quotes Aristotle, and refers to Litcia:
Aristophanes, and others, in proof of the fact that signboai
advertisements were used in ancient Greece, but the infc
mation is extremely vague. Of the Romans, however, rao;
is known. Some streets were with them known by meai
of signs. The book referred to tells us that the bush, tl
Romans' tavern sign, gave rise to the proverb, '* Vino vc
dibUi suspensa hedera non opus estj" and hence we dcrii
our own sign of the bush, and our proverb, " Good wii
needs no bush." An ansa or handle of a pitcher was th(
the sign of a pothouse, and hence establishments of th
kind were afterwards denominated anst^,
A correspondent writing to A'oUs and Queries^ in answ
to a question in reference to early advertising, says that tl
mode adopted by the Hebrews appears to have be<
chiefly by word of mouth, not by writing. Hence t]
Hebrew word kara signifies to cry aloud, and to annoum
or make known publicly (xTiaueff*!*) ; and the annouDC
ment or proclamation, as a matter of course, was usual
made in the streets and cliief places of concourse. Tl
matters thus proclaimed were chiefly of a sacred kin
as might be expected under a theocracy \ and we hai
no evidence that secular affairs were made the subject
similar announcements. In one instance, indeed (Isa. xi
3), kara has been supposed to signify the calling out
troops; but this may be doubted. The Greeks came a st(
nearer to our idea of advertising, for they made their publ
announcements by writing as well as orally. For announc
ment by word of mouth they had their x^fi/|, who, wi
various offices besides, combined that of public crier. H
duties as crier appear to have been restricted, with fc
exceptions, to state announcements and to great occasioc
He gave notice, however, of sales. For the publication
their laws the Greeks employed various kinds of tabid
STREET AND GENERAL ADVERTISING.
Ht
mm*ff, «?•«?, xufiSi/f. On these the laws were written, to
be displayed for public inspection. The Romans largely
advertised private as well as public matters, and by writing
as well as by word of mouth. They had their prtecones^
or criers, who not only had their public duties, but an-
nounced the times, places, and conditions of sales, and cried
things lost. Hawkers cried their own goods. Thus Cicero
speaks of one who cried figs, Caunms damitabat (De Divin*
XL 40). But the Romans also advertised, in a stricter sense
of the term, by writing. The bills were called liMU^ and'
were used for advertising sales of estates, for absconded
debtors, and for things lost or found. The advertisements
were often written on tablets (JaheJia)^ which were affixed
to pillars {piics coiumncE). On the walls of Pompeii have
been discovered various advertisements. There will be a
dedication or formal opening of certain baths. The com-
pany attending are promised slaughter of wild beasts, athletic
games, perfumed sprinkling, and awnings to keep off the
sun {vataiia, athictaj sparsiotics, veto)* One other mode of
public announcement employed by the Romans should be
mentioned, and that was by signs suspended or painted on
the wall. Thus a suspended shield served as the sign of a
tavern {Quintil. vi. 3), and nuisances were prohibited by the
painting of two sacred serpents. Among the French, adver-
tising appears to have become very general towards the
dose of the sixteenth century. In particular, placards
attacking private character had, in consequence of the
religious wars, become so numerous and outrageous, that
subsequently, in 1652, the Goveniment found it necessary
to^ntcrpose for their repression. +
Speaking of the signs of Herculaneum and Pompeii, the
" The opening notice of the baths at Pompeii wa? almost perfect
*^m diicovcred, aad originally read thus : — " Dedicatone . Thcr-
Moncris . Cn«i . Allei . Nigidii . Mail . Venalio . AOielee .
■ues . Vela . Enint . Mftio . Principi . Colonise . Felicilcr."
♦ iVWrt <tn4 Queria, vol xl, 3d seriei.
32
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
d
" History of Signboards " says that a few were painted, but,
as a rule, they appear to have been made of stone, or terra
cotta relievo, and set into the pilasters at the sides of the
open shop fronts. Thus there have been found a goat, the
sign of a dairy, and a mule driving a mill, the sign of a
baker. At the door of a school was the highly suggestive
and not particularly pleasant sign to pupils of a boy being
birched. Like to our own signs of two brewers carrying a
tun slung on a pole, a Pompeian publican had t^vo slaves
represented above his door carrying an amphora, and
another dispenser of drink had a painting of Bacchus press-
ing a bunch of grapes. At a perfumer's shop in the street
of Mercury were represented various items of that profes-
sion, notably four men carrying a box with vases of perfume,
and men laying out and perfuming a corpse. There was
also a sign of the Two Gladiators, under which, in the
usual Pompeian cacography, was the following : — ** Abiam
venerem Pompeiianama iradam qui hoc Izeserit," Besides
these were the signs of the Anchor, the Ship (possibly a
ship-chandler's), a sort of a Cross, the Chequers, the
Phallus on a baker's shop, with the words, *' Hie habitat
felicitas ;" whilst in Herculaneum there was a very cleverly
painted Amorino, or Cupid, carrying a pair of lady's shoes,
one on his head and the other in his hand. It is also pro-
bable that the various artificers of Rome used their tools
as signs over their workshops and residences, as it is
found that they were sculptured on their tombs in the
catacombs. On the tombstone of Diogenes, the grave-
digger, there is a pickaxe and a lamp; Banto and Maxima
have the tools of carpenters, a saw, an adze, and a chisel ;
Veneria, a tire-woman, has a mirror and a comb. ThereA
are others with wool-combers' implements ; a physician has
a cupping-glass; a poulterer, a case of fowls; a surveyor,
a measuring rule ; a baker, a bushel measure, a millstone,
and some ears of com ; and other signs arc numerous on
the graves of the departed. Even the modem custom o,
<
?<'^«^«^-<di
5 S^
^ S < >
-- — 's^ . ^ -■ ~^ ^ ''7 ^ ^. ^ ^
I
^
ol
\
-^<^"
Z
/x
I iio:
STREET AND GENERAL ADVERTISING.
punning on the name, so common on signboards, finds
its precedent on these stones. The grave of Dracontius
was embellished with a dragon, that of Onager with a wild
ass, and that of Umbricius with a shady tree. Leo's grave
received a lion ; Doleus, father and son, two casks ; Her-
bacia, two baskets of herbs; and Porcula, a pig. It re-
quires, therefore, but the least possible imagination to see
Ihat all these symbols and advertisements were by no
means conlmed to the use of the dead, but were exten-
sively used in the interests of the living.
Street advertising, in its most original form among us,
was therefore without doubt derived from the Romans j
and this system gradually grew, unlil» in the Middle Ages,
there was hardly a house of business without its distinctive
sign or advertisement ; which was the more necessary, as in
those days numbers to houses were unknown. *' In the
Middle Ages the houses of the nobility, both in town and
country, when the family was absent, were used as hostelries
for traveUers. The family arms always hung in front of
the house, and the most conspicuous object in those arms
gave a name to the establishment amongst travellers, who,
unacquainted with the mysteries of heraldry, called a lion
gules or azure by the vernacular name of the Red or
Blue Lion. Such coats of arms gradually became a very
popular intimation that there was —
GochI entertainment for alt that passes —
Horses, mares, men, and asses.
And innkeepers began to adopt them, hanging out red
lions and green dragons as the best way to acquaint the
blic that they offered food and shelter. Still, as long as
vilisation was only at a low ebb, the so-called open houses
few, and competition trifling, signs were of but little use.
A few objects, typical of the trade carried on, would suffice;
a knife for the cutler, a stocking for the hosier, a hand for
the glover, a pair of scissors for the tailor, a bunch of
grapes for the vintner, fully answered public reqtiirements.
F«4
mSTVRY OF ADVERTISING.
But as luxury increased, and the number of houses or
shops dealing in the same article multiplied, something
more was wanted. Particular trades continued lo be con-
fined to particular streets ; the desideratum then was to
give to each shop a name or token by which it might be
mentioned in conversation, so that it could be recom-
mended and customers sent to it. Reading was still a
scarce acquirement, consequently to write up the owner's
name would have been of little use. Those that could
advertised their name by a rebus — thus, a hare and a
bottle stood for Harebottle, and two cocks for Cox.
Others, whose names could represent, adopted pictorial
objects ; and as the quantity of these augmented, new
subjects were continually required. The animal kingdom
was ransacked, from the mighty elephant to the humble
bee, from the eagle to the sparrow ; the vegetable king-
dom, from the palm-tree and cedar to the marigold and
daisy ; everything on the earth and in the firmament above
it was put under contribution. Portraits of the great men
of all ages, and views of towns, both painted with a great
deal more of fancy than of truth ; articles of dress, imple-
ments of trades, domestic utensils, things visible and in-
visible, ' Ea quae sunt tanquam ea quae non sunt/ everything
was attempted in order to attract attention and lo obtain
publicity. Finally, as all signs in a town were painted by
the same small number of individuals, whose talents and
imagination were limited, it followed that the same subjects
were often repeated, introducing only a change in the
colour for a difference." *
From the foregoing can be traced the gradual growth of
street advertising until it has reached its present extensive
pitch; and though the process may be characterised as
Blow, no one who looks around at the well-covered hoard-
ings and the be-plastered signs on detached and prominent
History of Signboards/
S7KEET AND GENERAL ADVERTISING, as
louses can doubt that it is sure. Proclamations, and such- j
like official announcements, were probably the first speci- I
mens of street advertising, as we now understand the terra ; I
but it was not until printing became general, and until the I
people became conversant with the mysteries of reading |
and writing, that posters and handbills were to any extent /
used. Mention is made in 1679 of a tradesman named J
Jonathan Holder, haberdasher, of the city of London,
who gave to every purchaser to the extent of a guinea a
printed list of the articles kept in stock by him, with the
prices affixed. The paper in which this item of news was
recorded seems to have regarded Mr Holder's practice as
a dangerous innovation, and remarks that it would be quite
destructive to trade if shopkeepers lavished so much of
their capital in printing useless bills. This utterance now
seems ridiculous ; but in the course of another two centuries
many orthodox opinions of the present day will receive as
complete a downfall as that just recorded.
Within the recollections of men who are still young \
street advertising has considerably changed. Twenty years I
ago the billsticker was a nuisance of the most intolerable
kind, and though we can hardly now consider him a bless-
ing, his habits have changed very mu'ch for the better. Never
heeding the constant announcement to him to beware, the
Etnsticker cared noth^nglor the privacy _pf deail walls, or,
for the matter of tTiat, of dwelling-houses and street doors ;
and though he was hardly ever himself to be seen^ his
jisfcgurative work was a prominent fp.iturp. nf thci"'*^''"-
polis^ Tt wa^aUn '"y^^sJvlgrc^ by b^"^ a point of honour —
tf the term may be used in connection with billsticTcers — to
paste over the work o* a nval : andSQ the h oardings" "iisecT'
to present the^iost heterogeaeous possible appearance,
ana thoughbnis_werfi p^r"^if^ll, thfjf tp^pijj£ibjTifj was ofa,
very limited description. Sunday morning early used to
be a busy time with^the wandering billsticker. Provided
with a light cart and an assistant, he would make a raid on
I
I.
a6 fflSTORY OF ADVERTISING.
a whole district, sticking his notices and disappearing with
marvellous rapidity. And how he would chuckle as he drove
away, more especially if, in addition to disfiguring a private
wall, he had succeeded in covering over the handiwork of
a rival I For this reason the artful billsticker used to select
& time when it was still early enough to evade detection,
and yet late enough to deface the work of tliose who had
gone before him. Billsticking was thus an art attended
with some difficulties ; and it was not until the advent of
contractors, like Willing, Partington, and others, tJiat any
positive publicity could be depended upon in connection
with posting.
Yet, in the days of which we have just been speaking,
the man of paste considered himself a very important
personage ; and it is not so very long since one individual
published himself under the style and title of "Champion
Billposter," and as such defied all comers. It was for
some time doubtful whether his claims depended upon his
ability to beat and thrash all rivals at fisticuffs, wliether he
was able to stick more bills in a given time than any other
man, or whether he had a larger and more important con-
nection than usually fell to the poster's lot ; in fact, the
question has never been settled, for exception having been
foV^T^ ♦o his assumption of the title of champion from any
if view, and reference having been made to the
of sporting papers, the ambitious one gracefully
w his pretensions, and the matter subsided. A genera-
tion ago one of the most popular songs of the day com*
mcnccd something like this —
*' I 'm Sammy Slap the billsticker, and you must all agree, sirs,
I iticks lo business like a irump while biisines* sticks lo me, sirs.
There 's some folks calls me plasterer, but they deserve a banging,
Cause ycr see, genteelly speaking, that my traJc is paperban^ing.
Wi:h my paste, paste, paste !
All the wot Id is puffing,
So I '11 paste, paste, paste ! "
1
■
■
^^^^^^^H
■
^1^1
^^^^^^^^^^^^I^H^^^I^^^^^^^^B
¥
i
4
t
r^
i
%
1
^^^^^^^J[|p7J\7^E^ ~ '"^ ^^^^1
I
r
^
1
Ktom Tfe-"'""!^=-'^?^^^5yiH
|H
1'-^^ IHM''''' H
^^^^^j,
H *^H
^6"^'i -u^-'T_i'*Sr ^(aiw'
^K
^^^^[|R| Aijfc'-i iiJft~ — r^^^-'W' ^^^1
1
Ig
^■If^^Bjl ta^^H^HI^^^3I^BldH^HB'
P
ms
jr^:^^-y -^ / vv^.^^-
•
L
u
AN OLD l«lU.-»TAT|itN'-
i
i
STREET AliD GENERAL ADVERTISING,
■J
TTsc advent of advertisement contractors, who purchased
the right, exclusive anii absolute, to stick bills on a hoard-
ing, considerably narrowed the avocations of what might
almost have been called the predatory billsticker. For
a long time the fight was fierce and often ; as soon as an
"advertisement station" had been finished off, its bills and
announcements being all regulated with mathematical pre-
cision, a cloud of skirmishers, armed to the teeth with bills,
pots, and brushes, would convert, in a few minutes, the
orderly arrangements of the contractor to a perfect chaos.
But time, which rights all things, aided in the present in-
stance by a few magisterial decisions, and by an unlooked-
for and unaccountable alacrity on the part of the police, set
these matters straight; and now it is hard to find an en-
closure in London the hoarding of which is not notified as
being the " advertisement station " of some contractor or
other who would blush to be called billsticker. In the
suburbs the flying brigade is still to be found hard at work,
but daily its campaigning ground becomes more limited,
and gradually these Bashi-Bazouks of billsticking are be-
coming absorbed into the regular ranks of the agents'
standing corps.
Placard advertising, of an orderly, and even ornamental,
character, has assumed extensive proportions at most of
the metropolitan railway stations, the agents to whom
we have just referred having extended their operations in
the direction of blank spaces on the walls, which they sub-
let to the general advertising publia Often firms which |
advertise on an extensive scale themselves contract with 1
the railway companies, and not a few have extended their \
announcements from the stations to the sides of the line, I
little enamelled plates being used for this purpose. Any J
one having a vacant space at the side of his house, or a
blank wall to the same, may, provided he live in anything
like a business thoroughfare, and that the vantage place is
free from obstruction, do advantageous business with an
I
I
I
I
JUSTORY OF ADVERrrSING.
advertisement contractor ; and, as matters are progressing,
we may some day expect to see not only the private walls
of the houses in Belgrave Square and suchlike fashionable
localities well papered, but the outsides and insides of our
public buildings utilised as well by the hand of the adver-
tiser. One thing is certain, no one could say that many of
the latter would be spoiled, no matter what the innovation
to which they were subjected.
The most recent novelty in advertising has been the
introduction of a cabinet, surmounted by a clock face, into
public-house bars and luncheon rooms. These cabinets
are divided into spaces of say a superficial foot each, which
are to be let off at a set price. So far as we have yet seen,
these squares have been filled for the most part with the
promoters' advertisements only j and it is admitted by all
who know most about advertising that the very worst sign
one can have as to the success of a medium is that of an
advertisement emanating from the promoters or proprietors
of anything in which such advertisement appears. Why this
should be we are not prepared to say. We are more able
to show why it should not be ; for no man, advertisement
contractor or oiherwise^ should, under fair commercial con-
ditions, ask another to do what he would not do himself.
So we are satisfied to rest content with the knowledge that
wh.1t we have stated is fact, however incongruous it may
seem, which any one can endorse by applying himself to
the ethics of advertising. Certainly, in the instance quoted,
the matter looks very suggestive ; perhaps it depends on
the paradox, that he who is most anxious that others should
advertise is least inclined to do so himself.
Not long ago the promoters of a patent umbrella, which
seems to have gone the mysterious way of all umbrellas,
patent or otlierwise. and to have disappeared, availed them-
selves of a great boat-race to attract public attention to
their wares. Skiffs fitted with sails, on each of which were ,
painted the patent parapluie, and a recommendation to buy
^
STREET AND GENERAL ADVERTISING. 29
dotted the river, and continually evaded the efforts of the
lonservancy Police, who were endeavouring to marshal all
le small craft together, so as to leave a clear course for the
competitors. Every time one of these advertising boats
broke out into niid-strearo, carrying its eternal umbrella
between the dense lines of spectators, the advertisement
was extremely valuable, for straying boats of any kind are
on such occasions very noticeable, and these were of course
much more so. Still it would seem from the sequel that
this bold innovation had been better applied to something
more likely to hit the public taste ; for whether it was that
people, knowing how fleeting a joy is a good umbrella, were
determined not to put temptation in the way of their friends,
or whether the experiment absorbed all the spare capital of
the inventor and patentees, we know not ; but this we do
know, that since the time of which we speak little or nothing
has been heard of the novel "gingham."
^B Another innovation in the way of advergssments-ju
i
lat, common a few years back, nfratenr/illipg th^ fli^tones.
kt first this system assumed veiy small proportions, a paral*
logram, looking like an envelope with a black border that
had been dropped, and containing the address of the adver-
tiser, being the object of the artist entrusted with the mis-
sion. Gradually, however, the inscriptions grew, until they
became a perfect nuisance, and were put down — if the term
applies to anything on such a low level — by the intervention
of the police and the magistrates. The undertakers were
the greatest sinners in this respect, the invitations to be
buried being most numerous and varied. These '* black
workers" or "death-hunters," as they are often called, are
in I-ondon most persistent advertisers. They can hardly
think that people will die to obhge them and do good for
trade, yet in some districts they will, with the most unde-
viating persistency, drop their liule books, informing you
how, when, where, and at what rates you may be buried
£Conoa]y or despatch, or both, as the case may be,
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
down your area, or poke them under your door, or into the
letter-box. More, it is slated on good authority, than one
pushing contractor, living in a poor neighbourhood, obtains
a list of all the folk attended by the parish doctor, and at
each of the houses leaves his little pamphlet, let us hope
with the desire of cheering and comforting the sick and
ailing. To such a man Death must come indeed as a friend,
so long, of course, as the grira king comes to the customers
only.
A few years back, when hoardings were common pro*
perty, the undertakers had a knack of posting their dismal
little price-lists in the centre of great broadsheets likely to
attract any unusual share of attention. They were not
particular, however, and any vantage space, from a door-
post to a dead wall, came within their comprehension.
Another ingenious, and, from its colour, somewhat sugges-
tive, plan was about this time brought into requisition by
an undertaker for the destruction of a successful rival's
advertisements. He armed one of his assistants with a
great can of blacking and a brush, and instructed him to
go by secret ways and deface the opposition jjlacards. Of
course the other man followed suit, and for a time an
undertaker's bill was known best by its illegibility. But
ultimately these two men of colour met and fought with the
instruments provided by their employers. They did not
look lovely when cliarged before a magistrate next morning,
and being bound over to keep the peace, departed to worry
each other, or each other's bills, no more. There is another
small bill feature of advertising London which is so objec-
tionable that we will pass it by with a simple thankful
notice that its promoters are sometimes overtaken by tardy
but ironhanded justice
Most people can recollect the hideous glass pillars or
" indicators " which, for advertising purposes, were stuck
about London. The first one made its appearance at Hyde
Park Comer, and though, in deference to public opinion, it
STREET AND GENERAL ADVERT/SING. 31
not remain there very long, less aristocratic neighbour-
>ds hail to bear their adornments until the complete
Lilure of the attempt to obtain advertisements to fiU the
vacant spaces showed how fatuous was the projecL The
last of these posts, we remember, was opposite the Angel
at Islington, and there, assisted by local faith and indol-
ence, it remained until a short time back. But it too has
gone now, and with it has almost faded the recollection of
these hideous nightmares of advertising.
The huge vans, plastered all over with bills, which used
to traverse London, to the terror of the horses and wonder
of the yokels, were improved off the face of the earth a
quarter of a century ago; and now the only perambulating
advertisement we liave is the melancholy sandwich-man
and the dispenser of handbills, gentlemen who sometimes
" double their parts," to use a theatrical expression. To a
playhouse manager we owe the biggest thing in street and'
general advertising — that in connection with the " Dead
Heart" — that has yet been recorded. Mr Smith, who had
charge of this department of the Adelphi, has published a
statement which gives the totals as follows : — 10,000,000
adhesive labels (which, by the way, were an intolerable
nuisance), 30,000 small cuts of the guillotine scene, 5000
reams of note-paper, 110,000 business envelopes, 60,000
stamped envelopes, 2000 six-sheet cuts of Bastile scene,
5,000,000 handbills, 1000 six -sheet posters, 500 slips,
1,000,000 cards heartshaped, 100 twenty-eight sheet pos-
ters, and 30,000 folio cards for shop windows. This was
quite exclusive of newspaper wrappers and various other
ingenious means of attracting attention to the play through-
out the United Kingdom.
Among other forms of advertising, that on the copper
coinage must not be forgotten. The extensive defacement
of the pence and halfpence of the realm in the interests of
a well-known weekly paper ultimately led to the interference
of Parliamenti and may fairly be regarded as the cause, or
\
I
I
I
k
3»
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING
A
m of
at all events as one of the principal causes, of the sum
j^io,ooo being voted in July 1855 for the replacement of
the old, worn, battered, and mixed coppers by our present
bronze coinage, «
And now, having given a hurried and summarised glance
at the growth and progress of advertising of all kinds and
descriptions, from the earliest periods till the present time,
we will begin at the beginning, and tell the story with all its
ramifications, mainly according to those best possible autho-
rities, the advertisements themselves.
CHAPTER III.
jtNC/ENT FORMS OF ADVEFT/SmO.
THOUGH it would be quite impossible to give any txm
idea as to ihc period when the identical first adver-
tisement of any kind made its appearance, or what particular
dime has the honour of introducing a system which now plays
so important a port in all civilised countries, there need be
DO hesitation in ascribing the origin of advertising to the
remotest possible limes — lo the earliest times when com-
petition, caused by an increasing population, led each
man to make efforts in that race for prominence which has
in one way or other gone on ever since. As soon as the
progress of events or the development of civilisation had
cast communities together, each individual member naturally
tried to do the best he could for himself, and as he, in the
course of events, had naturally to encounter rivals in his
,ipay of Ufej it is not hard to understand that some means of
preventing a particular light being hid under a bushel soon
presented itself. That this means was an advertisement is
almost certain ; and so almost as long as there has been a
world — or quite as long, using the term as it is best under-
stood now — there have been advertisements. At this early
stage of history, almost every trade and profession was still
exercised by itiri^eiants, who proclaimed their wares or their
qualifications with more or less flowery encomiums, with,
in fact, the advertisement verbal, which, under some cir-
kumstances, is still very useful. But the time came when
[tlie tradesman or professor settled down, and opened what,
M
HISTORY OF ADVERTISma,
for argument's sake, wc will call a shop. Then anothei
method of obtaining publicity became requisite, and th(
crier stepped forward to act as a medium between the pro
vider and the consumer. This is, however, but anotha
form of the same system, and, like its simpler congener, haj
still an existence, though not an ostentatious one. Wher
the art of writing was invented, the means of extending lh(
knowledge which had heretofore been simply cried, wai
greatly extended, and advertising gradually became an ar
lo be cultivated.
Very soon after the invention of writing in Its rudes
form, it was turned to account in the way of giving pub
licity to events in the way of advertisement; for reward:
for and descriptions of runaway slaves, written on papyr
) more than three thousand years ago, have been exhume<
from the ruins of Thebes. An early but mythical instanci
of a reward being offered in an advertisement is relate(
by Pausanias,* who, speaking of the art of working metals
says that the people of Phineum, in Arcadia, pretende<
that Ulysses dedicated a statue of bronze to Neptune, if
the hope that by that deity's intervention he might recovei
the horses he had lost; and, he adds, "they showed m<
an inscription on the pedestal of the statue offering i
reward to any person who should find and take care o
the animals."
The Greeks used another mode of giving publicity whicl
is worthy of remark here. They used to affix to the statue
of the infernal deities, in the /ernetios of their temples
curses inscribed on sheets of lead, by which they devote*
lo the vengeance of those gods the persons who hat
found o^ stolen certain things, or injured the advertiser
.* ^ other way. As the names of the offenders wer
given '^
full in these singular inscriptions, they had th
'/" making the grievances known to mortals as we
Pauiaiiias Gnec., lib. viii. c. 14, Arcadia,
AA'CIENT FOJiMS OF ADVERTISING.
Immortals, and thus the advertisement was attained.
ic only difference between these and ordinary public
notices was that the threat of punishment was held out
instead of the offer of reward. A compromise was endea-
voured generally at the same time, the evil invoked being
deprecated in case of restitution of the property. A most
interesting collection of such imprecations {dira defixiones^
or xardifafioi) was found in 1858 in the temaics of the infernal
deities attached to the temple of Deraeter at Cnidus. It
is at present deposited in the British Museum, where the
curious reader may inspect it in the second vase-room.
A common mode of advertising, about the same time,
was by means of the public crier, x^ju?* ^" comparatively
modem times our town<riers have been proverbial for
murdering the king's English, or, at all events, of robbing
it of all elecuiionary beauties. Not so among the Greeks,
who were so nice in point of oratorical power, and so
offended by a vicious pronunciation, that they would not
suffer even the public crier to proclaim their laws unless he
was accompanied by a musician, who, in case of an inexact
tone, might be ready to give him the proper pitch and ex-
pression. But this would hardly be the case when the
public crier was employed by private individuals. In
Apuleius ("Golden Ass") we are brought face to face
with one of these characters, a cunning rogue, full of low
humour, who appears to have combined the duties of crier
and auctioneer. Thus, when the slave and the ass are led
out for sale, the crier proclaims the price of each with a
loud voice, joking at the same time to the best of his abili-
ties, in order to keep the audience in good humour. This
/alter idea has not been lost sight of in more modem days.
" The crier, bawling till his throat was almost split, cracked
all sorts of ridiculous jokes upon me [the ass]. 'What
is the use,' said he, 'of offering for sale this old screw of
a jackass, with his foundered hoofs, his ugly colour, his
sluggishness in everything but vice, and a hide that is
I
30 mSTOR Y OF AD VBR TIS/yG.
nothing but a ready-made sieve ? Let us even make a
present of him, if we can find any one who will not be loth
to throw away hay on the brute.' In this way the crier
kept the bystanders in roars of laughter." *
The same story furnishes further particulars re-
garding the ancient mode of crying. When Psyche has
absconded, Venus requests Mercury ** to proclaim her in
public, and announce a reward to him who shall find her."
She further enjoins the divine crier to ** clearly describe
the marks by which Psyche may be recognised, that no
one may excuse himself on the plea of ignorance, if he
incurs the crime of unlawfully concealing her." So saying,
she gives him a little book, in which is written Psyche's
name and sundry particulars. Mercury thereupon descends
to the earth, and goes about among all nations, where he
thus proclaims the loss of Psyche, and the reward for her
return : — " If any one can seize her in her flight, and brmg
back a fugitive daughter of a king, a handmaid of Venus, by
name Psyche, or discover where she has concealed herself,
let such person repair to Mercury, the crier, behind the
boundaries of Murtia.t and receive by way of reward for
the discovery seven sweet kisses from Venus herself, and
one exquisitely delicious touch of her charming tongue.*'
A somewhat similar reward is offered by Venus in the hue
and cry she raises after her fugitive son in the first
idyl of Moschus, a Syracusan poet who flourished about
250 years before the Christian era : *' If any one has see^_
my son Kros straying in the cross roads, [know ye] he i^|
a runaway. The informer shall have a reward. The kiss
of Venus shall be your pay ; and if you bring him, not the
bare kiss only, but, stranger, you shall have something
* ApuJeius, Golden Ass, Book viii,, Episode 8.
t The spot here mentioned was at the back of the Temple of Vei
Mynia (the myrtle Venus), on Mount Arenline in Rome.
ANCIENT FORMS OF ADVERTISING. 37
more." * This something more is probably the " quidquid
post oscula dulce " of Secundus, but is sufficiently vague to
be anything else, and certainly promises much more than
the " will be rewarded " of our own time.
So far with the Greeks and their advertisements. Details
grow more abundant when we enter upon the subject
of advertising in Rome. The cities of Herculaneum and
Pompeii, buried in the midst of their sorrows and pleasures,
their joys and cares, in the very midst of the turmoil of
life and commerce, and discovered ages after exactly as
they were on the rooming of that ominous 24th of August
A.D. 79, show us that the benefit to be derived from
publicity was well understood in those luxurious and
highly-cultivated cities. The walls in the most frequented
parts are covered with notices of a different kind, painted
in black or red. Their spelling is very indifferent, and
the painters who busied themselves with this branch of the
profession do not appear to have aimed at anything like
artistic uniformity or high finish. Still these advertise-
ments, hasty and transitory as they are, bear voluminous
testimony as to the state of society, the wants and require-
ments, and the actual standard of public taste of the
Romans in that age. As might be expected, advertise-
ments of plays and gladiators are common. Of these the
public were acquainted in the following forms, —
AEDILIS . FAMILIA . GLADIATORIA . PUGNABIT
POMPEIS , PR . K . JUNTAS . VENATIO ET VELA
ERUNT.
or,
i\
N . FESTI AMPLIATI ~ g"
FAMILIA GLADIATORIA . PUGNA ITERUM -s I S
PUGNA . XVI . K . JVN . VENAT . VELA-f ^ § *t
'!|
• Apuleius, Book vi. \
+ That is, •' The troop of gladiators of the asdil will fight on the
31st of May. There will be fights with wild animals, and an awning
38
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
Such inscriptions occur in various parts of Pompeii, some-
times written on smooth surfaces between pilasters (de-
nominated aibua\ at other times painted on the walls.
Places of great resort were selected for preference, and thus
it is that numerous advertisements are found under the
portico of the baths at Pompeii, where persons waited for
admission, and where notices of shows, exhibitions, or
sales would be sure to attract the attention of the weary
lounger.
Baths we find advertised in the following terms, —
THERMAE
M . CRASSI FRUGH
AQUA . MARINA . ET . BALN.
AQUA . DULCI . JANUARIUS . I.
which of course means **warm, sea, and fresh water
baths.'' As provincials add to their notices " as in
London/' or '* k la mode de Paris," so Pompeians and
others not unfrequently proclaimed that they followed the
customs of Rome at their several establishments. Thus
the keeper of a bathing-house near Bologna acquainted the
public that —
IN . PRAEDIS
C . LEGIANNl VERI
BALNEUM . MORE . URBICO . LAVAT.
OMNIA COMMODA . PRAESTANTUR.
to keep off the sun." Wiiid and weather permitting, there i
awnings over ihe heads of the spectators ; but, generally, there ap-
peftrs to have been too mucli wind in this brcery summer retreat Xo
admit ofthis luxury. " Nnm vcnius populo vela ncgare solct," says Mar-
tial, and Ihe same idea occurs in three other places in this poet's works
\y'\. 9; xi. 3t ; xiv. 29). Sometimes, al&o, the bills of gladiators pro-
mise i/^trHonrs, which coiuisled in certain sprinklings of water per-
fumed with saffron or other odours ; and, as they produced what was
called a nimbus or cloud, the i>crfumes were probably dispersed over
Ihe audience in drops by means of pipes or spouts, or, perhaps, by
some kind of mde enjpne.
li
ANCIENT FORMS OF ADVERT/SING, 39
At his establishments there were baths according to the
fashion of " the town," besides " every convenience." And
a similar inscription occurred by the Via Nomentana, eight
miles from Rome —
IN^ . PRAEDIS . AURE
LIAE . PAUSTINIANAE
DAUNEUS . LAV AT . MO
RE . URBICO . ET 0MN1&
HUMANITAS . PRAESTA
TUR.
Those who had premises to let or sell afiixed a short
notice to the house itself, and more detailed bills were
posted at the "advertising stations." Thus in Plautus's
**Trinummus/' Act v., the indignant Callicles says to his
spendthrift son, " You have dared to put up in my absence,
and unknown to me, that this house is to be sold" —
(" iCdes venales hasce inscribit Uteris *'). Sometimes, also,
the inscription, *' lUicoaedes venales" ("here is a house for
sale") appears to have been painted on the door, or on the
album. An auctioneer would describe a house as ** Villa
bona beneque edificata" (a good and well-built house), and
full details of the premises were given in the larger placards
painted on walls. In the street of the Fullers in Pompeii
occurs the following inscription, painted in red, over
another which had been painted in black and white-
washed over,—
IN . PRAEDIS . JUUAE . S . P . F . FELICIS
LOCANTUR
BALNEUM . VENEREUM . ET . NONGENTUM . PERGULAE
CENACULA . EX . IDIDUS , AUG . PR10R13 . IN . ISUS . AUG
SEXTAS . ANNOS . CONTINUOS . QUINQUE.
S.Q.D.L.E.N.C.
Which has been translated, " On the estate of Julia Felix,
daughter of Spurius Fehx, are to let from the xst to the
40 iriSTOR Y OF AD VER TISING.
6\h of the ides of August (/>., bctweeii August 6th am
8th), on a lease of five years, a bath, a venereum, and nine
hundred shops, bowers, and upper apartments." * The
seven final initials, antiquaries, who profess to read what
to others is unreadable, explain, *' They are not to let to
any person exercising an infamous profession." But as
this seems a singular clause where there is a venereum to
be let, other erudites have seen in it, " Si quis donnnam loci
eius non cognoveHt," and fancy that they read underneath,
" Adeat Suettum Verum," in which case the whole should
mean, " if anybody should not know the lady of the
house, let him go to Suettus Verus." The following is_
another example of the way in which Roman landlor<
advertised " desirable residences," and " commodioi
business premises "—
INSULA ARRIANA
POLLTANA . GX . ALIF I . NIGID I MAI
LOCANTUR . EX . 1 . JULIS . PRIMIS . TABERNAB
CUM . PERGULIS . SUIS . ET COENACULA
EQUESTRIA . ET . DOMUS . CONDUCTOR
CONVENITO . PRIMUM GN . ALIF I
NIGID I . MAI SER.
Said to mean, " In the Arrian PoUIan block of hous<
the property of Cn, Alifius Nigidius, senior, are tc^
let from the first of the ides of July, shops with their
* Nine hundred shops in a town which would hardly contain more
than about twelve hundred is rather incredible— perhaps it should be
ninety, /^crgula were cither porticos shaded with venlure, lattices
with creeping plants, or small rooms above the shops, bedrooms Cor
the »hopkee{>cr!». Ccttwcuh ueic rooms under the terraces. When
tli«7^ were good enough tg let to the higher classes they were called
eqnatria (as in the following advert>i»emeii1). Plutarch inronns us
that Sylla, in his younger days, lived in one of Lhcm, where he paid A
rent of/^8 a year.
HADRinTlI\IV5
Lvcrvs
la t/teif Jaada imd Jw^tmriktt in ikt
ANCIENT FORMS OF ADVERTISING,
4«
and gentlemen's apartments. The hirer must
apply lo the slave of Cn. Alifius Nigldius, senior."
Both the Greeks and the Romans had on their houses
a piece of the wall whitened to receive inscriptions relative
to their affairs. The first called this XjuxaiMa, the latter
album. Many examples of them are found in Pompeii,
generally in very inferior writing and spelling. Even
the schoolmaster Valentinus, who on his album, as
was the constant practice, invoked the patronage of some
high personages, was very loose in his grammar, and
the untoward outbreak of Vesuvius has perpetuated his
blundering use of an accusative instead of an ablative :
" Cum discentes suos." All the Pompeian inscriptions
mentioned above were painted, but a few instances also
occur of notices being merely scratched on the wall. Thus
we find in one place, ** Damas audi," and on a pier at the
angle of the house of the tragic poet is an Eiruscan in-
scription scratched in the wall with a nail, which has been
translated by a leanied Neapolitan, " You shall hear a
poem of Numerius." But these so-called Etruscan inscrip-
tions are by no means so well understood as we could wish,
and their interpretation is far from incontestable. There
is another on a house of Pompeii, which has been Latinised
into, " Ex hinc viatoriens ante turri xii inibi. Sarinus
" Publii cauponatur. Ut adires. Vale." That is, " Traveller,
going from here to the twelfth tower, there Sarinus keeps
a tavern. This is to request you to enter. Farewell." This
inscription, however, is so obscure that another savant has
Rad in it a notification that a certain magistrate, Adircns
lius, had brought the waters of the Sarno to Pompeii —
most material difference certainly.
We are made acquainted with other Roman bills and
inivertisements by the works of the poets and dramatists,
Khus at Trimalchion's banquet, in the "Saiyricon," Pliny
entions that a poet hired a house, buiit an oratory, hired
rms, and dispersed prospectuses. They also read iheit
41 HISTORY OF ADVERTTSmC.
works publicly,* an occupation in which they were much
interrupted and annoyed by idlers and imperiinent boys.
Another mode of advertising new works more resembled
that of our own country. The Roman booksellers used
to placard their shops with the titles of the new books ihey
had for sale. Such was the shop of Atrectus, described by
Martial —
Contn Caesnris est fomm tabema
Scriptis posubus hinc ct inde todi
Omnea ut cito perlegas poelas
Illinc me pete.
A
* A. L. MilUn, Description d'un Mos&iqae antique du Mus^ Flo.
Clcmentin, 4 Rome, 1S19, p. 9.
CHAPTER IV-
V£D/.erAL AND OTHER VARIETIES OF ADVERTISING,
^^a:
w.
IN the ages which immediately succeeded the fall of the
Roman Empire, and the western migration of the
arbarian hordes, darkness and ignorance held paramount
ay, education was at a terrible discount, and the arts of
ading and writing were confined almost entirely to the
monks and the superior clergy. In fact, ic was regarded
as evidence of effeminacy for any knight or noble to be able
to make marks on parchment or vellum, or to be able to
decipher them when made. Newspapers were, of course,
things undreamt of, but newsmen — itinerants who collected
scraps of information and retailed them in the towns and
market-places — were now and again to be found. The
travelling packman or pedlar was, however, the chief
medium of intercommunication in the Middle Ages, and
it is not hard to imagine how welcome his appearance must
have been in those days, when a hundred miles constituted
an immense and almost interminable journey. W'c know
how bad the roads were, and how dlfhcult travelling was in
comparatively modem days, but we can form very little idea
of the obstacles which beset all attempts at the communi-
cation of one commercial centre with another in the early
Middle Ages. Everybody being alike shrouded in the dark-
ness of ignorance, it is safe to assume, therefore, that written
advertisements were quite unknown, as few beyond those
ho had written them would have been able to understand
era. Nearly the whole of the laity, from the king to the
villain or thrall, were equally illiterate, and once more the
nrSTORY OF ADVERTISING.
J
public crier became the only medium for obtaining pub-
licity ; but from the simple mode in which all business
was conducted his position was probably a sinecure. An
occasional proclamation of peace or war, or a sale of slaves
or plunder, was probably the only topic which gave hina
the opportunity of exercising his eloquence. But with the
increase of civilisation, and consequent wealth and com*™
petition, the crier's labours assumed a wider field. ^
The mediaeval crier used to carry a horn, by means of
which he attracted the people's attention when about to
make a proclamation or publication. Public criers appear
to have formed a well-organised body in France as early
as the twelfth century ; for by a charter of Louis VII.^
granted in the year 1141 to the inhabitants of the pro-
vince of Berry, the old custom of the country was con-^
firmed, according to which there were to be only twelvofl
criers, five of which should go about the taverns crying^^
with their usual cry, and carrying with them samples of the
wine they cried, in order that the people might taste. For
the first time they blew the horn they were entitled to a
penny, and the same for every time after, according to
custom. These criers of wine were a French peculiarity,
of which we find no parallel in the history of England.
They perambulated the streets of Paris in troops, each with
a large wooden measure of wine in his hand, from which J
to make the passers-by taste the wine they proclaimed, dH
mode of advertising which would be very agreeable in the^
present day, but which would, wc fancy, be rather too suc-
cessful for the advertiser. These wine-criers are mentioned
by John de Garlando, a Norman writer, who was probably
a contemporary of William the Conqueror " Praecones
vini," says he, "clamant hiante gula, vinum venumdandum
in tabemis ad quatuor denarios."* A quaint and signifi-
• Glossary, cap. xxvii. *• Winc-criers cry with open moulh the
hich U for sale in tlic taverns at four farthings."
MEDIMVAL ADVEXTIZiyG. ^
cant story is told in an old chrocicCe is cyz^tic^-yz 'rrs
this system of adveitistng. An old B-nm- r-Eirrrf .^6?i-
heid, was possessed of a strong dcsL-e lo pfora-r-! tit W^ars
of God, but not having Isngs stiSdrztlj poirtrf^Z far tic
noisy propagation contemplated br bsr. ii-e zaSi a -v-ise-
crier to go about the town, acd, xn5r*2.d c^ pr^^j^isdrss tiis
prices of the wine, to proclaioi Oiese sacr*-; wjrtt : - G>S
is righteous ! God is merdibl ! God is rcof a^f txc^
lent !*• And as the man went aboct saocr-.g -.'-Me w^-is
she followed him, exclaiming, ^He spczks wel: bt tsrt
truly ! " The poor old body hardiy soccecf cd accardirjg
to her pious desire, for she was arrestee and trrcd. azid as
it was thought she had done this 03t of rz^ttr -^ca^i^a lausz:
humana), she was burred a]:ve.* Frj»z: ihij :i ••-ji'.i sr^rr
that there was as much prolecdoz fc-r '^e =>■:;-'£.£ i-. -_irj^
profession as for the criers, who were t-tt yr'jj.'i cjf titir
special prerogatives.
The public criers in France, at a:: eir> p»*rl:*d. ■■tre
formed into a corporation, and in 1255 obti:r,*rd V2.r--j-s
statutes from Philip Augustus, son:e of wi:-,>_ rtlit.-r t'j
the criers of wine, are excessivelj czr.'yis- Tlzs ;t Tts
ordained that —
•* WTiosoever b a crier in Paris siar go to a-v t^v^r-. ':,*
likes and cry its wine, providei thtr st.I w.-e fr-.— *.-*
wood, and that there is no other crier e:r,p!oTtd :vr \:.sX
tavern ; and the tavern-keeper car.3ot prohii/i: ;.:nL
" If a crier finds people drir.kins in a lave.T., he nuij s-ik
what they pay for the wine they crir-k ; and he i^iT ^o out
and cry the wine at the prices they pay. whether the t£v*rr.-
keeper wishes it or not, provided always that there l/e l.o
other crier employed for that tavern,
"If a tavern-keeper sells wine in Paris ar.d err.p-oys r.o
crier, and closes his door against the criers, the crier m^y
* Chronicles of the Mock AJbcric des Trois F'^niiine*, E-i-ier ibe
year 1235.
HISTORY Of ADPERTISmC,
That criers used horns, as in France, appears from the will
of a citizen of Bristol, dated 1388, who, disposing of some
house property, desires '* that the tenements so bequeathed
shall be sold separately by the sound of the trumpet at the
high cross of Bristol, without any fraud or collusion." In
Ipswich it was still customary in the last century to pro-
claim the meetings of the town council, the previous night
at twelve o'clock, by the sound of a large horn, which is
still preserved in the town hall of that borough. These
horns were provided by the mayors of the different towns.
The public crier, then, was the chief oi^an by which the
medieval shopkeeper, in the absence of what we now know
as "advertising mediums," obtained publicity: it was also
customary for most traders to have touters at their doors, who
did duty as living advertisements. In low neighbourhoods
this system still obtains, especially in connection with cheap
photographic establishments, whose "doorsmen" select aa
a rule the most improbable people for their attentions, but
compensate for this by their pertinacity and glibness. Pos-
sibly the triumph is the greater when the customer has been
persuaded quite out of his or her original intentions. Most
trades, in early times, were almost exclusively confined to
certain streets, and as all the shops were alike unpretending,
and open to the gaze — in fact, were stalls or booths — it
behoved the shopkeeper to do something in order to attract
customers. This he effected sometimes by means of a
glaring sign, sometimes by means of a man or youth stand^
ing at the door, and vociferating with the fuU power of h^H
lungs, " What d'ye lack, sir? what d'ye lack ?" Our country
rtSTathcr deficient in that kind of mediaeval literature known
in France as i^ufs and /a/f/iaux, which teem with allusions to
this custom of touting, which is noticeable, though, in Lyd-
gate's ballad of " London Lyckpenny" (Lack-penny), writien
in the first half of the fifteenth century. There we see tl
shopmen standing at the door, trying to outbawl each
to gain the custom of the passers-by. The spicer or gri
O ¥tM M O, OR A Nku Cavkft.
"IHK ailLMAM or UtilDDM.
I hi f/.Y-.t/oii'j Sttatui .\'i[ht'a n'ittJtt 1608-9.
MEDIEVAL ADVERTlSlNCk
49
bids the Kentish countryman to come and buy some spfce,
pepper, or saffron. In Cbeapside, the mercers bewilder him
wiih their velvet, siJk, and lawn, and lay violent hands on
him, in order to show him their " Paris thread, the finest in
the land," Throughout all Canwick (now Cannon Street),
he is persecuted by drapers, who offer him cloth ; and in
other parts, particularly in East Cheap, the keepers of the
eating-houses sorely tempt him with their cries of '* Hot
sheep's feet, fresh maqurel, pies, and ribs of beef" At last
he falls a prey to the templing invitation of a. taverner, who
makes up to him from his door with a cringing bow, and
taking him by the sleeve, pronounces the words, *'Sir, will
you try our wine?" with such an insinuating and irresistible
accent, that the Kentish man enters and spends his only
penny in that tempting and hospitable house. Worthy old
Stow supposes this interesting incident to have happened
at the l*o|>c's Head, in Comhill, and bids us enjoy the
knowledge of the fact, that for his one penny the country-
man had a pint of wine, and " for bread nothing did he pay,
for that was allowed free" in those good old days. Free
luncheons, though rare now, were commonly bestowed in
the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries on regular drinkers;
and the practice of giving food to those who pay for drink \%
still current in many parts of the United Slates. The " I^ck-
penny" story is one of the few instances in English litera
ture of this early period, in which tlie custom of touting at
shop doors is distinctly mentioned, but, as before remarked,
the French Jahliaux abound with such allusions. In the
slor>- of " Courtois d'Arras" — a travestie of the Prodigal Son
in a thirteenth-centur)' garb — Courtois finds the host stand-
ing at hb door shouting, " Bon vin de Soissons, h six deniers
Ic lot." And in a mediaeval mystery entitled "Li Jus de
S. Nicolas," the innkeeper, standing on the threshold, roars
out, that in his house excellent dinners are to be had, with
warm bread and warm herrings, and barrelfuls of Auxerre
wine: **C^ns il fait bon diner, cdans il y a pain chaud et
50
nrSTORY OF ADVERTISING,
harengs chauds, et vin d'Auxerre \ plein tonneau.** In the
"Trois Aveugles de Compifegne," the thirsty wanderers hear
wine host proclaiming in the street that he has '*good, cool,
and new wine, from Auxerre and from Soissons; bread
and meat, and wine and fish : within is a good place to
spend your money \ within is accommodation for all kind
of people ; here is good lodging :" —
Ci a bon vin fres et nouvel
^a d'Auxcrrc, 9a dc Soissona,
Pain, et char, et vin, et poissoa%
C(^cns fct bon dcspendrc argent,
Ostcl i a ^ toute gent
C^cns fct moult bon hcbcrger.
And in the " D^bats et fac^tieuses rencontres de Gringald et
de Guillot Gorgen, son maistre," the servant, who would not
pay his reckoning, excuses himself, saying, "The tavemer
is more to blame than I, for as i passed before his door»
and he being seated at it as usual, called to me, say-
ing, MVill you be pleased to breakfast here? I have good
bread, good wine, and good meat.'" "Le tavernier a
plus de tort que moy ; car, passant devant sa porle, ct luy
^tant assiz (ainsy qu'ils sonc ordinairemcnt) il me cria, me
disant : Vous plaist-il de dejeuner cdans? II y a de bon
pain, de bon vin, et de bonne viande."
Other modes of advertising, of a less obtrusive natu
were, however, in use at the same time, as in Rome, written
handbills were affixed in public places; and almost as soon
as the art of printing was discovered, it was applied to the
purpose of multiplying advertisements of this kind. We
may fairly assume that one of the very first posters ever
printed in England was that by which Caxton announced,
circa 1480, the sale of the "Pyes of Salisbury use,"* at t!
J
1
• No savoury meat-j)ie», as some gastronomic reader might ttilnlc,
lince they came from the coiinly of sausage celebrity, but a collection
of rules, as practised in the diocese of Salisbury, to show the prie&ti
A
MEDJj^VAL ADVERTISING.
veil
Red Polcj in the Almonn-, Westminster. Of this first of
broadsides two copies are still extant, one in the Bodleian
Library, at Oxford, the other in Earl Spencer's library.
Their dimensions are five inches by seven, and their con-
tents as follows : —
I:f ft pUiidc on^ man epiritud or ttmportl to bot dttr pgffl
of tbjo or tfjre comtmotacio's of ^alisburt usr* rmpTDntrti nftrr
l[)t form of t|)i3 prrst't Ittrf, toljitbe btn faucl antj Irulu forrcct^
late \^\ come to ^t^rstmonfetcr, into llje almontstrue at \\t
nc^ polt anti \i si}al b^uc ifjttn noo'O anti i\z^t :
^upplico 0tct cctiula.
Foreigners appear to have appreciated the boon of this
kind of advertising equally rapidly, although, from the fugi-
tive nature of such productions, copies of tticir posters are
ra'-ely to be found. Still an interesting list of books, printed
by Coburgcr at Nuremberg in the fifteenth century, is pre-
served in the British Museum, to which b attached the
following heading: " Cupientes emere libros infra notatos
venicnt ad hospitium subnotatum," &c. — 1>., "Those who
h to buy the books hereunder mentioned, must come to
house now named," &c. The Parisian printers soon
went a step further. Long before the invention of the
typographic art, the University had compelled the book-
sellers to advertise in their shop windows any new manu-
scripts lliey might obtain, But after the invention of
printing they soon commenced to proclaim the wonderful
cheapness of the works they produced. It did not strike
them, however, that this might have been done effectually
oa A large scale, and they were content to extol the low
price of the work in the book itself. Such notices as the
following are common in early books. Uiric Gering, in
how to deal, unrler every possible variation in Easter, with the concur^
tence of more than one office on the same day. These rules varied in
(be dilTcrcnt dioceses.
52
NJSTORY OF ADVERTISING,
J
his "Corpus Juris Canonici," 1500, allays the fear of the
public with a distich : — *' Don't run away on account of tht
price/* he says. *' Come rich and poor; this excellent wor
is sold for a very sraall sum : " —
Ne fugile ob pretiiim : dives paiiperque venite
Hoc opus cxcelJens veu<ii[ur sere brevi.
I
Berthold RemboUtt subjoins to his edition of "S. Bruno on
ihe Psalms," 1509, the information that he does not lo
away his wares (books) like a miser, but that anybody
carry them away for very little money.
Istns Bcrlboldus mcrces non cbudit amms
Exigius nammis has stndiose geres.
ockfl
caifl
And in his "Corpus Jaris Canonici," he boasts that this
splendid volume is to be had for a trifling sum, after having,
with considerable labour, been weeded of its misprints. ^_
Hoc tibi prxclarum modico pntet sere volumen ^|
Ab^tersum mendis non sine Martc suis.
Thiclman Kerver, Jean Petit, and various other printers,
give similar intelligence to the purchasers of their works.
Sometimes they even resort to (he process of having a book
puffed on account of its cheapness by editors or scholars of
known eminence, who address the public on behalf of tti^|
printer. Thus in a work termed by the French savan^^
Chevillier, "Les Opuscules du Docteur Alniain," printed
by Chevalon and Gourmont, 151S, a certain dignified mem-
ber of the University condescends to inform the public that
they have to be grateful to the publishers for the beautiful
and cheap book they have produced : — '* Gratias agant
Clnudio Chcvallon et -^Egjdio Gourmont^ qui pulchris typia
et characteritus impressura opus hoc vili dart prctio." This,
be it obser\'ed, is the earliest instance of the puff direct
which has so far been discovered. ^|
Meanwhile, though the art of printing had become estal>^*
lishcd, and was daily taking more and more work out of
d
MEDTMVAL ADVERTISTKG.
53
the hands of scribes, writing continued to be almost the only
advertising media for wellnigh two centuries longer. Like
the ancient advertisement already noticed, that of Venus
about her runaway son, they commenced almost invariably
with the words " If anybody," or, if in Latin, Si quis ; and
&ora these last two words they obtained their name. They
were posted in the most frequented parts of the towns, pre-
ferably near churches ; and hence has survived the practice
of attaching to church doors lists of voters and various
other notifications, particularly in villages. In the metropolis
one of the places used for this purpose may probably have
been London Stone. In " Pasquil and Marforius," 1589,
we read, "Set up this bill at London Stone; let it be done
solemnly with drum and trumpet ; " and further on in the
same pamphlet, " If it please them, these dark winter nights,
to stick up these papers upon London Stone." These two
allusions are, however, not particularly conclusive.
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the principal
place for alBxing a siquis was in the middle aisle of St
Paul's. From the era of the Reformation to the Restora-
tion, all sorts of disorderly conduct was practised in the old
cathedral. A lengthy catalogue of improper customs and
disgusting practices might be collected from the works of
tlie period, and bills were stuck up in various parts to re-
strain the grossest abuses. " At every door of this church,"
.ys Wecver, " was anciently this vers depicted ; and in my
e [he died in 1633] it might be perfectly read at the
t south door, Hlc Locus sacer est^ hie nuUi min^ere fas
There were also within the sacred edifice tobacco, book,
"and sempstress' shops ; there was a pillar at which serving-
men stood for hire, and another place where laft7ers had
their regular stands, like merchants on 'Change. At the
period when Decker wrote his curious ** Gull's Horn- Book''
(1609). and for many years after, the cathedral was the
lounging place for all idlers and hunters after news, as well
S4 HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
as of men of almost every profession, cheats, usurers, antT
knights of the post. The cathedral was likewise a seat of
traffic and negotiation, even pimps and procuresses had
their stations there; and the font itself, if credit may be given
to a black-letter tract on the '* Detestable Use of Dice-play/*
printed early in Elizabeth's reign, was made a place for the
advance and paymcntof loans, and the sealing of indentures
and obligations for the security of the moneys borrowed.
Such a busy haunt was, of course, the very best place for
bills and advertisements to be posted.
No boni fide sipiis has come down to us, but it appears
that among them the applications for ecclesiastics were very
common, as Bishop Earle in his "Microcosmographia," pub-
lished in 1629, describes " Paul's Waike " as the "market
of young lecturers, whom you may cheapen here at all rates
and sizes;" and this allusion is confirmed by a passage in
Bishop Hall's "Satires" (R ii. s. 5), in which also the cus-
tom of affixing advertisements to a particular door is dis-
tinctly noticed : —
Saw'st thou ere struts patch'd on Paul's church door
To wck some vacant vicarage before ?
Who wants a churchman that can service say,
Kead fast and fair his monthly homily,
And wed, and bury, and moke cristen souls.
Come to the Uftside alUy of St Poule's.
But the siquis door was not confined to notices of cede
siastical matters ; it was appropriated generally to the variety
of applications that is now to be found in the columns of a
newspaper or the books of a registry office. Though no
authentic specimens of the s'tquis remain, we ate possessed
of several imitations, as the old dramatists delighted in re-
producing the inflated language of these documents. Thus,
in Holiday's '* Technogamia " (1618), Act i. scene 7, Geo-
graphus sets up the following notice : —
ir there be any gentleman that, for the accomplishing of his natural
endowment, intertaynes a desire of learning the languages; especially
AfEDIMVAL ADVF.RTISIXG,
Hie nimble French, inaiettilc Spanish, courtljr Italian, masculine
Dutch, happily compounding Greek, mysticall Hebrew, and physical!
AraMclcc ; ortliat is otherwise tnin5ported with the admirable knowledge
of forraine policies complimenlal! behaviour, natwrall dispositions, or
whatsoever cl^e belongs to any people or country under heaven ; he
shall, to his abundant salisfaclion, be made hnppy in his expectation
and successe if be please to repair lo the signe of the Globe.
Again, Ben Jonson's "Every Man out of his Humour"
introduces Shift. '*a threadbare shark," whose "profession
IS skeldring and odUng, his bank Paul's." Speaking of Shift
in the opening scene of the third act, which the dramatist has
laid in *Mhe middle aisle of Paules," Cordatus says that
Shift is at that moment in Paules '*for the advance-
ment of a siqtits or two, wherein he hath so varied himselfe,
that if any one of them take, he may hull up and doune
in the humorous world a little longer." Shift's productions
deserved to succeed, as they were masterpieces of their kind,
and might even now, though the world is so much older,
and professes to be so much wiser, be studied with advan-
tage by gentlemen who cultivate the literature of advertise-
ments in the interest of certain firms. Here are some of
his compositions, which would certainly shine among the
examples of the present day : —
If there be any lady or gentlewoman of good carriage that is desirous
to entertain loher private uses a young, straight, and upriEbt gentleman,
of the age of five or six and twenty at the most ; who can serve in die
nature of a gentleman usher, and hath little legs of pur]M>se,* and a
black satin suit of his own lo go before her in ; which suit, for the more
sweetening, now lies in lavender ;+ and can liide his face with her fan
if need require, or sit in the cold at the stair foot for her, as well as
another gentleman ; let her subscribe her name and place, and diligent
respect shall be given.
Small calveles3 legs are mentioned oa characteristic of a gentle-
in many of our old plays, and will be observed in most full-length
portraits of the sixteenth and seventeenth century,
•t To '* lie in lavender *' was a cant term for being in pawn.
■
i
$6 TTISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
The following is even an improvement : —
11*0119 city, or thcsuburlKof the same, do afford any young jjenttetnaii
of the fir&t, secuiid, or third bead, more or less, who!>c friends are but
lately deceased, and whose lands ^re but new come into his hands, that,
(o be as exactly qualified as the best of our ordinary gallants are, is affec-
ted to entertain the most gcnllemanhkc use of tobacco ; as first to give
it (he most exquisite perfume ; then to know all the delicate, sweet forms
for the as'^umption uf it ; as also the rare corollary and practice of the
Cuban clMlilion^ euripus and whiff/ which we shall receive or take in
here at London, and evaporate at Uxbridge, or farther, if it please him.
If there be any such generous spirit, tliat is truly cnamour'd of these
good faculties ; may it please him but by a note of his hand to specify
the place or ordinary where he uses to eat and lie ; and most sweet
attendance with tobacco and pipes of the best sort, shall be mims-
tcred. ^et quaso^ randide Ifctifr.
It is noticeable that most of these advertisements com-
mence with the English equivalent for the Latin si quis, and
furthermore that Ben Jouson concludes with the same for-
mula as Caxton, sUt quatiOy imploring the ''candid reader"
not to tear off the bill The word siquis is of frequent occur-
rence in the old writers. Green, for instance, in his " Tu
Quoquc/' says of certain women that "they stand like the
devil's siquis at a lavem or alehouse door." At present the
term has more particular reference to ecclesiastical matters
A candidate for holy orders who has not been educated at
the University, or has been absent some time from thence, is
still obliged to have his intention proclaimed, by having a
notice to that effect hung up in the church of the place where
he has recently resided. Ifj after a certain time, no objec-
tion is made, a certificate of his siquis^ signed by the church-
wardens, is given to him to be presented to the bishop
when he seeks ordination.
At the lime when the siquis was the most common form
* Tricks performed with tobacco smoke were fosliionnblc amon^t
the gallants of the period, and are recommended in Decker's "Gull's
Horn-Hook," and commended in many old plan's. Making rings of
smoke was a fivourile amusement in those days.
MEDIMVAL ADVERTISING. 57
of advertisement, other methods were used in order to
give publicity to certain events. There were the proclama-
tions of the will of the King, and of the Lord Mayor, whose
edicts were proclaimed by the common trumpeter. There
were also two richly carved and gilt posts at the door of
the ShcrifTs office,* on which (some annotators of old plays
say) it was customary to stick enactments of the Town
Council The common crier further made known matters
of minor and commercial importance, and every shop-
keeper still kept an apprentice at his door to attract
the attention of the passers-by with a continuous " What
do you lack, master?" or " mistress," followed by a voluble
enumeration of the wares vended by his master. The
bookseller, as in ancient Rome, still advertised his new
works by placards posted against his shop, or fixed in cleft
sticks. This we gather from an epigram of Ben Jonson to
his bookseller, in which he enjoins him rather to sell his
works to Bucklersbury, to be used for wrappers and bags,
than to force their sale by the usual means : —
Nor have my little leaf on post or walls,
Or in cleft sticks advanced to make calls
For termers or some clerk-like serving-man.
Announcements of shows were given in the manner still
followed by the equestrian circus troops in provincial towns,
viz., by means of bills and processions. Thus notice of bear-
baitings was given by tlie bears being led about the town,
preceded by a flag and some noisy instruments. In the
Duke of Newcastle's play of "The Humorous Lovers"
(1677), the sham bearward says, "I'll set up my bills, that the
gamesters of London, Horseleydown, Southwark, and New-
market, may come in and bait him before the ladies. But
first, boy, go, fetch me a bagpipe ; we will walk the streets
in triumph, and give the people notice of our sport" Such
a procession was, of course, a noisy one, and for that reason
• Sec prints in " Archseologia," xix. p. 383.
58
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
It tO^
It was one of the plagues ihe mischievous page sent
torment Morose, " the gentleman that loves no noise," in
Ben Jonson's ** Silent Woman." *' I entreated a bearward
one day," says the page, " to come down with the dogs of
some four parishes that way, and I thank him he did, and
cried his game nnder Master Morose's window. '^ And m
Howard's " English Monsieur" (1674), William, a country
youth, says, " I saw two rough-haired things led by the
nose with two strings, and a bull like ours in the country,
with a brave garland about his head, and an horse, and the
least gentleman upon him that ever I saw in my life, and
brave bagpipes playing before 'um ;" which is explained by
Comely as occasioned by its being " bcarbaiting day, and
he has met with the bull, and the bears, and the jack-an-
apes on horseback." Trials of skilijn^ the noble art of
self-defence were announced in a simils^ manner, by the
combatants promenading the streets divested of their upper
garments, with their sleeves tucked up, sword or cudgel in
hand, and preceded by a drum. Finally, for the use of the
community at large, there was the bellman or town crier, a
character which occupies a prominent place in all the old
sets of ** Cries of London." i\\ one of the earliest collec-
tions of that kind,* engraved early in the seventeenth cen-
tury, we see him represented with a bunch of keys in his
hand, which he no doubt proclaims as
neath is the following " notice : " —
found," Under-
O yes. Any man or woman that
Can tcU any tidings of a liiile
Mayden-childe of the age of 34
Vcares. Bring word to the cryar
And you shall be pleased for
your labour
And God's blessing.
Vidt Decker's " Belman of London :
notorious Viilanies that are
dun, 1 60S.
Bringin)^ to Light the moit
pimctised in the Kingdome." Lon-
MEDIMVAt ADVERTISING. 59
This was an old joke, which, more or less varied, occurs
always under the print of the town crier. The prototype
of this venerable witticism may be found in the tragedy of
" Soliman and Perseda" (1599), where one of the characters
says that he
had but sixpence
For crying a little vench of thirty yeeres old and upwardes,
That had lost herself betwixt a taveme and a b y house.
Notwithstanding the immense development of advertising
since the spread of newspapers, the services of the bellman
are still used in most of the country towns of the United
Kingdom, and even in London there are still bellmen and
parish criers, though their offices would appear to be sine-
cures. The provincial crier's duties are of the most various
description, and relate to objects lost or found, sales by
public auction or private contract, weddings, christenings,
and funerals. Not much more than a century ago the
burgh of Lanark was so poor that there was in it only
one butcher, and even he dared never venture on killing
a sheep till every part of the animal was ordered before-
hand. When he felt disposed to engage in such an enter-
prise, he usually prevailed upon the minister, the provost,
and the members of the town council to take a joint each ;
but when shares were not subscribed for readily, the sheep
received a respite. On such occasion the services of the
bellman, or " skelligman," as he was there named, were
called into request, and that official used to perambulate
the streets of Lanark acquainting the lieges with the
butcher's intentions in the following rhyme : —
Bell— ell— ell !
There 's a fat sheep to kill !
A leg for the provost,
Another for the priest.
The bailies and the deacons
They 'U talc* the neist ;
And if the fourth leg we canna sell,
The sheep it maun leeve, and gae back to the hill I
6o
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
I
Sir Walter Scott, in one of his notes, gives a quaint
specimen of vocal advertising. In the old days of Scotland,
when persons of property (unless they happened to be
nonjurors) were as regular as their inferiors in attendance
on parochial worship, there was a kind of eiiquette in
waiting till the patron, or acknowledged great man of the
parish, should make his appearance. This ceremonial was
so sacred in the eyes of a parish beadle in the Isle of Bute,
that the kirk bell being out of order, he is said to have
mounted the steeple every Sunday to imitate with his voice
the successive summonses which its mouth of metal used to
send forth. The fust part of this imitative harmony was simply
the repetition of the words, *' Bell, bell, bell, bell !" two or
three times, in a manner as niucli resembling the sound as
throat of flesh could imitate throat of iron. ** Belliimj
Bellbm 1" was sounded forth in a more urgent manner;
but he never sent. forth the third and conclusive peal, the
varied tone of which is called in Scotland the " ringing-in,"
until the two principal heritors of the parish approached,
when the chime ran thus —
Bcllum Bellillum,
Bernera and Knocl^dow 's coming!
Hciluin i{<:]lc:Ilum,
Bernera and Knockdow 's coming I
A Story is also told of an old Welsh beadle, who, having
no bell to his church, or the bell being out of order, used
to mount the tower before the service on Sundays, and
advertise the fact that they were just about to begin, in
imitation of the chimes, and in compliment to the most
conspicuous patronymics in the congregation list, thus —
J
Shon Morgan, Shon Shones,
Shon Morgan, Shon Shones,
Shon Shcukin, Shon Morgan, Shon Shenkin,
Shon Shones )
J
Continued i discretion. And with this most singular fornj,
of vocal advertising we will conclude tlie chapter.
CHAPTER V.
NEWSPAPBX ADVERTISING FORESHADOWED — ITS '
BARUEST USE — HOUGHTON'S LESSONS,
BY this time, and in various ways, the first transitory
glimpses of a system at present all-powerful and
universal began to show themselves — vague and uncertain,
and often unsatisfactory, it must be admitted, but still the
fiist evidences of the growth of an unparalleled institution ;
in fact, the base upon which the institution eventually
reared itself. With improvements in printing, and the
invention of movable type, the supply of pamphlets on
current topics — the first rude forerunners of the newspaper
as we understand it — began to be enlarged, and this oppor-
tunity was not lost on the bold spirits who even in those
days could understand the advantages bound to accrue
from a system of intercommunication at once advantageoui:
to buyer and seller, and calling for special attention from
both. There is a wonderful amount of attraction about
these discoloured and rnoth-eaten papers, with their rude
types and quaint spelling, which breathe, as much as do
the words themselves, the spirit of a bygone age, and
those who are so fond of praising past times might receive
a valuable lesson from the perusal of these occasional
publications, which are full of the spirit of an age when
comfort, as we understand the word, was unknown to even
the wealthy; when travelling was a luxury —a woeful luxury,
it must be admitted — known only to those possessed of
ample means, or others called forth on special or desperate
HISTORY OF ADVERTJSiSG.
missions; when men lived long, and, as ihcy thought,
eventful lives, within a circle of half-a-dozen miles ; and
when the natural consequences of this isolation, ignorance
and intolerance, held almost absolute sway over the length
and breadth of the lan<i. And in these old papers, as we
get nearer ami nearer to modern times, can be traced the
gradual benefit which accrued from man's intercourse wth
man, not only by the construction and improvement o(
roads, and the introduction of and competition among stage
coaches, but by means of the subject of this work, — and
very much by their means too, — advertisements.
As early as 1524, pamphlets or small books of news were
printed in Vienna and other parts of Germany, but their
publication was very irregular, and little or nothing is
known of them beyond the fact of their being. It is not
easy to determine which nation first found its way towards
newspaper advertisements, but there is good reason to
believe that France is entitled to the honour, so far as
regular and consecutive business is concerned. The
Journal Ghthai d'Affiches^ better known as the Petiies
Affiches^ was first published on the 14th of October i6ia^|
It obtained from Louis XIII. by ktters-palent sundr^"
privileges which were subsequently confirmed (1628 and
1635). Judging by the title of this publication, it would
appear to have been an advertising medium, but this must
be left to surmise, there being no opportunity, so far as
we are aware, of inspecting the earliest numbers. Two
centuries and a half have passed away since the first ap*
pearance of this periodical, and the Peiites Affiches has
neither changed its title, nor, it may be fairly presumed,
the nature of its publicity. It is now the journal of the
domestic wants of France; and sen^ants seeking situations,
or persons wanting servants, advertise in it in preference
to all others. It is especially the medium for announcing
any public or private sales of property, real or personal ;
and the publication of partnership deeds, articles of as-
NEIVSPAPER ADVERTISING FORESFTADOWEP, 6.?
sociation of public companies, and other legal notices, are
required to be inserted in \\\^ Journal dcs Petites A ffiches^
uhich is published in a small octavo form.
The oldest newspaper paragraph approaching to an ad-
vertisement yet met with, is in one of those early German
newsbooks preserved in the British Museum. It is printed
in 1 591, without name of place, and contains all the
memorable occurrences of the years 1588 and 1589, such
as the defeat of the Armada, the murder of King Henry
III. of France, and other stale matter of the same kind; a
curious instance of the tardiness with which news, whether
good or ill, travelled in those times. Among the many
signs and tokens which were then supi)Oscd to give warning
of divine wrath at the general wickedness of mankind, was
an unknown plant which had made its appearance in one
of the suburbs of the town of Soltwedel It grew in a
garden amongst other plants, but nobody had ever seen its
like. A certain Dr Laster thereupon wrote a book de-
scribing the plant, and giving a print of it in the froiHis-
piece. "This book," says the pamphlet, "which as yet is
not much known, shows and explains all what this plant
contains. Magistcr Cunan has published it, and Maithew
Welack has printed it, in Wittemberg. Let whoever does
not yet know the meaning of this [portend] buy the book
at oucei and read it with all possible zeal :" —
£m wunderlichs Gewechs man hat,
Von Soltwedel dcr Alien stad.
Per Berber die Vorsiadt getiand,
Gefundcn wclchs ^x nicmand kend.
la cincm Garten gcwachsen ist.
Bey oudcm Krcutcm ist gcwia,
Scin Conlcrfey und rechi gestalt,
Wird aufTm Tittel genigct bald,
Ein Buch IIoB^arts La^ergcnand,
Welches jetzt noch schr unbckftnd
Darin gewiescn und vemiieit,
Wu das cewcchie in stch hilt,
64
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
Mag : Cunaw hats peben an den Tag
Zu W)lteml>erg druckts Malths Welack,
Wcr dcs bcdcutung nocli nicht wcis
KnufTdas IJuch Itsz mil allcm flcis.
Though this is an adverti^ieinent to all intents and pi
poses, siill it is of the kind now best known amongst those
most interested as *' puff pars/' and is similar to those that
the early booksellers frequently inserted in their works.
It is therefore not unlikely that the book ia question and
the newsletter were printed at the same shop. Another,
in fact, the earliest instance of newspaper advertising, is
that of Nathaniel Butler; still this also only relates to
books. The first genuine miscellaneous advertisements
yet discovered occur in a Dutch black-letter newspaper,
which was published in the reign of our Jaraes I., without
name or title. The advertisement in question is inserted
at the end of the folio half-sheet which contains the news,
November 21, 1626, and, in a type diiTcrent from the rest
of the paper, gives notice that there will be held a sale by
auction of articles taken out of prizes, viz., sugar, ivory,
pepper, tobacco, and logwood. At that time there ap^^|
pearcd two newspapers in Amsterdam, and it is not a little^
curious that Broer Jansz* occasionally advertised the books
he published in the paper of his rival, winch was entitled
" Courant from Italy and Germany." Gradually the adver-
tirements become more frequent, the following being some
of tliem literally translated. The first is from the CourattU
uyi Italim en dc DuyhchUind of July 23, itT^ji ■ —
With the last ships from the East Indies liave been brought ai^l
elephant, a tiger, and on Indian stng, which are to be seen at the Old^H
of
Gloss house, for the benefit of ibe poor, where many thousands of
people vi&it them.
• Brocr Jansz styles himself "Courantcer in tlie Army of h
Princely Excellence," i>., Prince Frederic Henry, the Stadiholdcr,
Subsequently, in 1630, Jnnsi commenced a new scries, which he
entided "Tidings from Various Quarter*.**
lBl«f«t la ft^UAb iJtKUy ^p^nMj wlih nvatJ bo lb* UtU Wu>. U wu uivk
B«r*l HIM*: ail «bni ta IWIJ itomwall MMiu^arf ••■iwdim iMivnr. th* ft\n«*wut
«mI roitorfAd to aiMw Uc iK/ioio rt i>»(> mblch bad nonUy pmm4 tb tin»l Bs\\«t>^
NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING FORESHADOWED, 65
The heirs of the late Mr Bemaidus Paludanas, Doctor, of the <l'\if of
Enkhuyzen, will eell his WDrld-famed museum in lota, by public auction,
or by private contract, on the ist of August, 1634*
The two following arc taken from the Tydutghcti^ the
first appearing on May 27, 1634 : —
The Burgomasters and Council of the town of Utrecht have been
pleased to found in this old and famous town, an illusirioua school
[unirenity], nl which will be taught and explained the sacred Theology
and Jurisprudence, besides Philosophy, History, and similar sciences.
And itvriil commence and open at Wliitsuatide of this present year.
A few days after, on June 7tb, the inauguration of this
school is advertised as about to take place on the ensuing
Tuesday. There is one instance of an advertisement from
a foreign country being inserted in this paper; it runs as
follows, and is dated June 3, 1635 : —
Licentiate Grinii British preacher snd professor at the University of
Wcsel, has published an extensive treatise against all popish scribblers*
entitled •' Papal Sanctimony," that is, catholic and authentic proof
that Pope John VIII., commonly called Pope Jutte [Joan], was a
voman.
In England the first bonft fide attempt at newspaper work
was attempted in 1622, when the outbreak of the great Civil
AVar caused an unusual demand to be made for news, and as
the appetite grew by what it fed on, this unwonted request for
infonnation maybe regarded as the fount-spring of that vast
machine which "liners" delight to call "the fourth estate."
It was this demand which suggested to one Nathaniel
Butler, a bookseller and a pamphleteer of twelve years'
standing, the idea of printing a weekly newspaper from the
Venetian gazettes, which used to circulate in manuscript.
AAer one or two preliminary attempts, he acquired suffi-
cient confidence in his publication to issue the following
advertisement : —
If any gentleman or other accustomed to buy the weekly relattoni
of newes be desirous to continue the same, let them know that the ^-
Writer, or tiaoscribcr rather, of this newes, hath publiihcd two former \/^
Dewea, the one dated the and and the other the 13th of August, all of
which do carry a Uke title with the arms of the King of Bohemix on the
NISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
best tcA, and making drink thereof very many noblemen, physicians,
merchants, &c., have ever since .lent to him for the said leaf, and daily
resort to his house to drink the drink thereof. He sells tea from l6t.
to 50s. a pound.
The opposition beverage, coflfee — mention is made of the
"cophee-house" in the '*Tcha" advertisement — had been
known in this country some years before, a Turkey mer-
chant of London, of the name of Edwards, having brought
the first bag of coffee to London, and his Greek servant,
Pasqua Rosee, was the first to open a coflTee-house in
London. This was in 1652, the time of the Protectorate,
and one Jacobs, a Jew, had opened a similar establishment
in Oxford a year or two earlier. Pasqua Roscc's coffee-
house was in St Michael's Alley. Cornhill. One of his
original handbills is preserved in the British Museum, and
is a curious record of a remarkable social innovation. It is
here reprinted : —
THE VERTUE OF THE COFFEE DRINK,
First made and publkly sold in En^and by
PASQUA ROSEE,
The grain or berry called coffee, groweth upon little trees only
the deserts of Arabia. Ic is brought from thence and drunk generally
throughout all the Grand Scignour's dominions. It is a simple, inno-
cent thing, composed into a drink, by being dried in an oven, and
ground to powder, and boiled up with spring water, and about half a
pint of it to be drunk fasting an hnur before, and not enting an hour
after, and to be taken as hot as can possibly be endured; the which
will never fetch the skin of the mouthy or raise any blisters by reason
of that heat
The Turk's drink at meals and other times is usually water, and theic
diet consists much of fniit ; the acidities whereof are very much cor-
rected by this drink.
The quality of this drink is cold and dry ; and though it be 11 drier;
yet it neither heats nor inflames more than hot posset. It so incloseth
the orifice of the stomach, and fortifies the heat within, that ii is very
good to help digestion ; and therefore of great use to be taken about
three or four o'clock afternoon, as well as in the morning. It much
quickens the spirits, and makes the heart lightsome ; it is good against
sore eyes, and lite belter if you hold your head over it and take in the
XL IS
inly itfB
fElVSPAPEK ADVERTISING FORESHADOWED. 69
im that way. It supprcwetli fumes exceedingly, and therefore is
against ihc headache, and will very much stop any dcfluxion of
>ujns that distil from the head upon the stomach, and so prcrent and
Ip consumptions and the cough of the lung5.
It is excellent to prevent and cure the dropsy, gout, and scurvy. It
is known by experience to be better than any other drying drink for
people in years, or children that have any running humours upon them,
as the king's evil, &c. It is a most excellent remedy against the spteeOy
hypochoodriac winds, and the like. It jriU prevent drowsiness, and
make qpe fit for business, if one have occasion to walcfa, and therefore
you ore not to drink of it after supper, unless you intend to be watchful,
for it will hinder sleep for three or four hours.
It is observed that in Turkey, where this is generally drunk, that they
are not troubled with the stone, gout, dropsy, or scurvy, and that their
skins are exceeding clear and while. It is neither laxative nor restrin-
gent.
AI<uit ohJ Soid in St MUhaeTs AUey^ in CamhUl^ by Pasqua Rosee,
at the sign of his awn ktad.
In addition to tea and coffee, the introduction and acccjv
tance of which had certainly a most marked influence on
Uie progress of civilisation, may be mentioned a third, which,
though extensively used, never became quite so great a
favourite as the others. Chocolate, the remaining member
of the triad, was introduced into England much about the
same period. It had been known in Germany as early as
1624, when Johan Frantz Rauch ^vrote a treatise against
that beverage. In England, however, it seems to have been
introduced much later, for in 1657 it was still advertised as
a new drink. In the Pubiick Advertiser of Tuesday, June
16-22, 1657, we find the following: —
IN Bishop'gate Street, in Queen's Head Alley, at a Frenchman's
house, is an excellent West India drink, called chocolate, to be
sold, where you may have it ready at any time, and also unmade, at
rcfljooable rates.
Chocolate never, except among exquisites and women of
fashion, made anything of a race with its more sturdy oppo-
nents, in this country at all events, for while tea and coffee
have become naturalised beverages, chocolate has always
retained its foreign prejudices.
I
I
TO
inSTORY OF ADVERTISING,
In the KiugdonCs InfelUgencery a weekly paper published
in 1662, are inserted several curious advertisements giving
the prices of tea, coffee, chocolate, &c., one of which is as
follows : —
AT the Coffeehouse in Exchange Alley, is sold by retail the right
- £offii pird.'d^r^ from 4s. to 6s. 8d. per pound, as in goodness ; that
pounded in a mortar at 2s. 6d. per pound, and that termed the East
India berry at iSd. per pound. Also that termed the right Turkey
berry, well garbled at 3s. per pound, the ungarblcd for Icssc, with direc-
tions gratu how to make and U'>e the same. Likewise there you may
haTC (hocolatta^ the ordinary pound boxes at 2a. 6d. per pound ; the
perfumed from 4s. to los. per pound. Also sherbets, made in Turkic,
of lemons, roses, and violets perfumed, and Tea according to its good-
ness. For all which, if any gentleman shall write or send, they shall
be sure of the best, as they shall order, and, to avoid deceit, warranted
under the house-seal — viz., Morat the Great. Further, all gentlemen
that are customers and acquaintance, are (the next New Year's day),
invited at the sign of the Great Turk, at the new coffee house, in
Exchange Alley, where cofft'e will be on free cost.
Leaving the enticing subject of these new beverages, we
find that in May 1657 there appeared a weekly paper which
assumed the title of the Public Advet-ther, the first number
being dated 19th to 26th May. It was printed for New-
combe, in Thames Street, and consisted almost wholly of
advertisements, including the arrivals and departures of
ships, and books to be printed. Soon other papers also
commenced to insert more and more advertisements, some-
times stuck in the middle of political items, and announce-
ments of marine disasters, murders, marriages, births, and
deaths. Most of the notices at this period related to run-
away apprentices and black boys, fairs and cockfights, bur-
glaries and highway robberies, stolen horses, lost dogs,
swords, and scent-bottles, and the departure of coaches
on long journeys into the provinces, and sometimes
even as far as Edinburgh. These announcements are
not devoid of interest and curiosity for us who live in
the days of railways and fast steamers \ and so we quote
I
NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING FORESHADOWED, 71
\t following from the Mercurius Foliiiats of April 1,
165S :—
"pROM the 26th day of April 1658, there will continue to go Stage
*■ Coaches from the Gtorge Inn, without Aldersgate, Londoity unto
the several Cities and To\ms, for the Rates and at the timei hereafter
mentioned and declared.
Every Monday^ Wednesday^ atid Friday .
To Saliitbury in two days for xxs. To Blandfard and DorcktsUr in
two days and half for xxxs. To Burfcrt in three days for xxxs. To
ExmasUff Nunnington^ and Exeter in four days for xls.
To Stamf.^d in two days for xxs. To Newark in two days and a
half for xxvs. To Bawtfy in three days for xxxs. To Dotuaster and
Ferrihrid»e for xxxvs. To York in four days for xls.
Moitdays and Wednesdays to Oekinion and Plimouth for Is.
^^^ Every Monday to Hdperhy and Nortkailerton for xlvs. To Darneion
^^Hul Ferrykil for Is. To Durham for Ivs. To Newcastle for iii^.
^^H Once every fortnight to Edinburgh for \\£ a peccc — Mondays,
^^H Every Friday^ to Wakefield in four days, xls.
^^m All persons who desire to travel unto the Cities, Towns, and Roads
berrin hereafter mentioned and expressed, namely — to Cmjentryt Liieh'
fi^J, Stone^ Namptwieh^ Chester^ Warrington^ Wtggan, Charley, Preston^
Cajtang, Lancaster and Kendal ; and also to Stamford, Grantham,
Newark, Ttixjord, Bawtrey, Doncaster, Ferriebridge, York, Helperby,
AorthalUrton, Dametim, Ferryhill, Durham^ and Newcastle, Wakefieidf
Leedt, and Halifax; and also to Salisbury, Btandford, Dorchester^
Burpmt, Exmtuter^ Hunningtan, and Exeter, Ockinfon^ Plimouth^
and Connval ; let them repair to the George Inn, at Holbcrn Bridge,
Z,tn^tt, and llicnce they shall be in good Coaches with goo<l Horses,
vpon every Altmday, Wedmsday, and Fridays^ at lud for reasonable
Rates.
Among the advertisements which prevailed most exten-
sively in those early times, may, as has been remarked, be
ranked those of runaway servants^ apprentices, and black
boys, England at that time swarmed with negro or mulatto
boys, which the wealthy used as pages, in imitation of the
lian nobility. They were either imported from the West
idics, or brought from the Peninsula. The first advertise-
ment of a runaway black page we meet with is dated August
I, 1659, but in this instance the article is advertised as
I
I
7«
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
I
"lost/* like a dog, which is after all but natural, the boy
being a chattel : —
A Negro-boy, aboat nine years of age, in a ^ray Sear^e suit, hU
hair cut clotc to his head, was lost on Tuesday last. Au^st 9,
at night, in St Nicholas Lane, London. If any one can give notice of
him to Mr Tho. Barker, at the Sngor Loaf, in that Lane, they shall .J
be well reworded for their pains. H
It is amusing to see, from this advertisement, that the
wool of the negro found no grace in the eye of his Puritan
master, who cropped the boy's head as close as his own.
Black boys continued in fashion for more than a century
after, and were frequently offered for sale, by means of ad-
vertisements, in the same manner as slaves used to be, with-
in recent years, in the Southern States of America. Even
as late as 1769 sales of human flesh went on in this country.
The GaseiUrr, April 18, of that year, classes together "for
sale at the Bull and Gate, Holbom : a chestnut gelding,
a trim-whiskey, and a well-made, good-tempered black
boy;" whilst a Liverpool paper of ten years later, October
15, 1779, announces as to be sold by auction, "at George
Dunbar's offices, on Thursday next, 21st inst, at one o'clock,
a black boy about fourteen years old^ and a large mountain
tiger-cat" This will be news to many blind worshippers of
the ideal creature known as " a man and a brother."
Another curiosity of the advertisement literature of the
seventeenth centuty is the number of servants and appren-
tices absconding with their masters' property. Nearly all
those dishonest servants must have had appearances such as
in these days might lead to conviction first and trial after-
wards. First of all, there is scarcely one of them but is
"pock-marked," "pock-pitted," " pock-fretted," " pock-
holed," "pit-marked " or *' full of pock -holes,*' a fact which
furnishes a significant inde.K of the ravages this terrible
sickness must have made amongst our ancestors, and offers
a conclusive argument — though argument is unfortunately
inadmissible among them — to those blatant and illogical
NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING FORESHADOWED. 73
people, the opponents of vaccination. Besides the myriads
who annually died of small-pox, it would, perhaps, not be
an exaggeration to assume that one-fourth of mankind at
that time was pock-marked, and not pock-marked as we
understand the term. Whole features were destroyed, and
a great percentage of blindness was attributable to this
cause. Indeed, so accustomed were the people of those
times to pock-maiked faces, that these familiar inequalities
of tlie facial surface do not appear to have been considered
an absolute drawback even upon the charms of a beauty or
a beau. Louis XIV. in his younger days was considered
one of the handsomest men of France, notwithstanding
that he was pock-marked, and La Vallifere and some other
^mous beauties of that period arc known to have laboured
under the same disadvantage. This is a hard fact which
should destroy many of the ideas raised by fiction. The
following is a fair specimen of the descriptions of the
dangerous classes given in the early part of the latter half of
the seventeenth century, and is taken from the Mercuritts
Politicus of May 1658 : — |
A Bbck-haired Maid, of a middle stature, thick set, with big breasts,
•** having her face full marked with the small-pox, calling herself
by the name of Nan or ^igna Hobion^ did, upon Monday, ihc 2% of May,
■bout six o'clock in the morning, steal away from her Ladies boose in the
Pal>'Mftl], a mingle- coloured wrought Tabby gown of Deer colour and
vhile ; a black striped Sattin Gown with four broad bone-black ailk
\-»et^^ and a plain black watered French Tabby Gown ; Also one
Scarlet-coloured and one other Pink-colonrcd Sarcenet Pelicoat, and a
white watered Tabby Wastcoat, plain ; Several Sarcenet, Mode, and thin
bUck Hoods and Scarfs, several line Holland Shirts, a laced pair of Cuffs
■ad Dressing, one pair of Pink-coloured Worsted Stockings, a Silver
Spooiif a Leather bag, &c. She went away in greyish Cloth Wastcoat]
turned, and a Pink-coloured Paragon upper Peticoat, with a green
Tammy under one. If any shall give notice of this person or things
U one Hifpkms, a Sh comaker's, next door to the Vine Tavern, near tjic
Pal-mall end, near Charing Cross, or at Mr Ostlet^s^ at the Bull Fiead
ta Comhill, near the Old Exchange, they shall be rewarded for their
paius.
In the same style was almost every other description; and
74 fflSTOR y Of AD VER T/S/JVG.
though embarrassed by the quantity as well as quality
have to choose from, we cannot pass over this bit of woi
painting, which is rich in description. It is from the
airius Politicus of July 1658 : —
ONE Eleanor Parker (by birth Haddock), of ft Tawny reddish coiU'
plexion, a pretty long nose, tail of stature, servant to Mr Ferderi€
Hsmp^rt, Kentisi) Town, upon Saturday last, the idtk ofjune^ ran away
And stole two Silver Spoons; a sweet Tent-work Bag, with gold and
silver Lace about it, and lined with Satin ; a Bugle work>Cushion, very
curiously wrought in ail manners of slips and flowers; a Shell cup,
with a Lyon's face, and a Ring of silver in its mouth ; besides many
other things of considerable value, which she took out of her Mistresses
Cabinet, which she broke open ; as also some Cloaths and Linen of all
sorts, to the value of Ten pounds and upwards. If any one do meet with
her and please to secure her, and give notice to the said Ferderic
Howfert^ or else to Mr Malpass, Leather seller, at the Green Dragon,
at the upper end of Lawrence Lane, he shall be thiinkfully rewarde^^
for his pains. |H
But besides the ravages of small-pox, the hue and cry
raised after felons exhibits an endless catalogue of deformi-
ties. Hardly a rogue is described but he is *' ugly as sin."
In turning over these musty piles of small quarto news-
papers which were read by the men of the seventeenth
century, a most ill-favoured crowd of evil-doers springs up
around us. The rogues cannot avoid detection, if they
venture out among good citizens, for they are branded
with marks by which all men may know them. Take th^^
following specimens of '* men of the time." The first ilH
from the London Gazette of January 24-28, 1677 : —
ONE John Jones, a W<4chman, servant to Mr Gray, of Whitehall,
went away the 27th witli /"joof his master's in silver. He isa^ed
about 35 year^, of a middle stature, something thick, a down black
look, purblind, between long and round favoured, aomclfaing pale of
complexion, lank, dark, red hair ; a hair-coloured large suit on, som^
thing light ; a bowe nose a little sharp and reddish, almost beede
brow'd and something deaf, given to slabber in his speech. Whoever
secures the wd servant and brings bim to bis master, shall hare £\
reward.
This portrait was evidently drawn by an admirer j am
iMAb
NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING FORESHADOWED.
73
it is with evident pleasure that the artist, after describing the
"lank, dark, red hair," and the suit like it, returns to the
charge, and gives the finishing touches to the comely features.
Here is another pair of beauties, whose descriptions appear
in the Currant Intelligtnc€y March 6-9, 16S2 : —
CAMUEL SMITH, Scrivener in Grace Church Street, London,
•-^ about 36 years old, crook-backed, of short stature, red hair, haih
a black periwig and someUraes a liyht one, pale complexion, Pock-
boltd full face, a mountier cap with a scarlet Ribbon, and one of the same
colour on his cravat and sword, a light coloured campaign coat faced
irith blue shag, in company with hia brother John Smith, who has a
dii in his nose, a tall lusty man, red hair, a sad grey campaign coat, a
lead colour suit lined with red : they were mounted, one on a flea*
UttcB grey, the other on a light bay horse.
For powers of description this next is worthy of study.
It is contemporary with the other:—
WILLIAM WALTON, a tall young man about sixteen years of
age, down-look'd, much disfigured with the Small-pox, strait
browti hair, black rotten teeth, having an impediment in his speech, in
asftd coloured cloth sutc, the cont faced with shag, a white bat with a
black ribbon on it, went away from his master, &c. &c.
And SO on, as per example \ the runaways and missing
folk — for all thai ore advertised are not offenders against
the law — seem to have exhausted the whole catalogue of
hunian and inhuman ugliness- By turns the attention of
the public is directed to a brown fellow with a long nose,
or with full staring grey eyes, countenance very ill-favoured,
having lost his right eye, voice loud and shrill, teeth black
and rotten, with a wide mouth and a hang-dog look, smutty
complexion , a dimple in the top of his nose, or a flat wry nose
with a star in it, voice low and disturbed, long visage,
down look, and almost every other objectionable peculiarity
imaginable. What a milk-and-water being our modem
rough is, after all I
Dr Johnson, in a bantering paper on the art of advertising,
published in the Idtcr^ No. 40, observes : " The man who
6rst took advantage of the general curiosity that was ex-
76 HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
cited by a siege or battle to betray the readers of news into
the knowledge of the shop where the best puffs and powd<
were to be sold, was undoubtedly a man of great sagacti
and profound skill in the nature of man. But when he hj
once shown the way, it was easy to follow him." Yet
look a considerable time before the mass of traders cci
be brought to understand the real use of advertising, even'
as the great Doctor understood it. Even he could hardly i
have comprehended advertising as it is now. The first masH
who endeavoured to systematically convince the world o^'
the vast uses which might be made of this medium was Sir
Roger L'Estrangc. That intcUigcnt speculator, in 1663,
obtained an appointment to the new office of "Surveyor of
the Imprimery and Printing Presses," by which was granted to
him the sole privilege of writing, printing, and publishing
all narratives, advertisements, mercuries, &c &c., besides
all briefs for collections, playbills, quack-salvers' bills,
tickets, &c. &c On the ist of August 1663 appeared a
paper published by him, under the name of the InUlUgencer^
and on the 24th of the same month the public were warned
against the " petty cozenage ** of some of the booksellers,
who had persuaded their customers that they could not
sell the paper under twopence a sheet, though it was sold to
them at about a fourth part of that price. The first number
of the Naves (which was also promoted by Sir Roger
L'Estrange) appeared September 3, 1663, and, as we are
told byNichoUs in his "Literary Anecdotes," "contained more
advertisements of importance than any previous paper."
Still, the benefit of the publicity which might be derived
from advertising was so little understood by the trading
community of the period, that after the Plague and the
Great Fire this really valuable means of acquainting the
public with new places of abode, the resumption of business,
and the thousand and one changes incidental on sue;
calamities, were almost entirely neglected. Though nearl;
the entire city had been burnt out, and the citizens mu
1
XEIVSPAPER ADVERTISIKG FORESHADOWED. 77
necessarily have entered new premises or erected extempore
shops, yet hardly any announcements appear in the papers to
acquaint the public of the new addresses. The London Gazette,
October ii-iSj 1666, offered its services, but hardly to any
effect ; little r^ard being paid to the following invitation : —
Such &s have settled in new ha.bitnlions since tlic late fire, and desire
for the convenience of their correspondence to publish the place of their
present abode, or to give notice of good* lott or found, may repair to
the corner house in Bloomsbury. or on the cut side of the great square
(Bloomsbury Square] before the house of the Right Honourable the
Lord Treasurer, where there is care taken for the receipt and publica-
tioa of such advertisements.
Among the very few advertisements relating to those
great calamities is the following, produced by the Plague,
which is inserted in the Intelligencer^ June 22-30, 1665 : —
THIS is to certify that the master of the Cock and Bottle, commonly
called the Cock alehouse, at Temple bar, hath dismissed his ser-
vaAti, and shut up his bouse for this long vacation, intending (God willing)
to return at Michaelmas next, so that all persons who have any accounts
or farthings belonging to the said house, are desired to repair thither
before the 8th of this instant, July, and they shall receive satisfaction.
Relating to the Fire, the following from the London
Gautte, March 12, 1672-73, was the notification ; —
THESE are to give notice that Edward Barlet, Oxford carrier, hath
removed his Inn in London from the Swan at Holborn Bridge to
the Oxford Arms in Warwick Lane, where he did inne before the Fire.
His coaches and waggons going forth on their usual days, Mondays,
Wednewiays, and Fridays. He hath also a hearse, with all things
ooavenicnt to carry a corpse to any part of England.
There is not, however, a single advertisement relating to
any of those temporary conveniences of every kind which
invariably arise, as by magic, on any great and unusual
emergency. Indeed, about this period, and for a long time
after, the London Gazette, which was the official organ of the
day, appeared frequently without a single advertisement ;
and till the end of the reign of Charles IL, it was only
very rarely that that paper contained more than four adver-
tisements of a general kind, very frequr?ntly the number
78
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
being less. The subjects of these were almost exclusiv(
thefts, losses, and runaways. Booksellere' and quad
advertisements were, however, even then frequent in
paper; their announcements always preceded the others'
and were printed in a different type.
In i668 Mr (afterwards Sir) Roger L'Estrange com-
menced the Merairy^ or Aditeriisefnents conc^tting Trade^
which does not seem to have answered, for it soon became
extinct. Some years after, the now well-known scheme of
issuing sheets of advertisements gratuitously, trusting for
profit to the number of advertisers, was for the first time
attempted. The paper started on this principle was called
the City Mercury^ and appears to have had a hard struggle
for existence, since the publishers thought it necessary to
insert in No. 52 (March 30, 1673) a notice of this tenor: —
Notwithstanding this paper has been published so long, there are
many persons ignorant of ihc design and advantage of it. And ii every
week comes to the hand of some, both in City and Country, that never
see it before: For which reason the Publisher thinks himself obliged
(that rU may have benefit by it), to inform them that : —
I. He gives away every Monday above a thousand of them to all the
BocksclUrs^ shops and m«/, and most of the principal coffee-houses in
Lomhn and IVestmimtfr, Besides they are now sent to most of the
cities and principal towns in England.
3. Any person that has anything to insert in it. as the titles of hooks^
houses or land to be /«"/ or soid, persons removing from one place to
emother^ things lost or siole^ pkysitians^ advertiununlSj or i$%xjuirUs for
houses or tamis to be UU or sold, for phces or for sft-vants, &c^ may
bring or send them to the Publisher, Tho. //orvhns, in George Yani,
in Lombard Street, London, who will carefully insert them at reason-
able rales.
3. l^hat this way of publishing is much more advantageous than
giving away Sills in the street, is certain, for where there is one of them
read, there's twenty is not ; and a thousand of these cannot be sup-
posed to be read by less than twenty times the number of persons ; and
done for at least the twentieth part of the charge, and with much less
trouble and greater success ; as has been experienced by many persons
that have things inserted in it,
This paper lived but a short time; though the fact that
d
NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING FORESHADOWED. 79
the proprietor tinderlook to furnish above a thousand copies
per week to booksellers, shops, inns, and coffee-houses in
London, and that it was sent to "most of the cities and
principal towns in England," clearly indicates that the
trade began to be aware of the advantages to be derived
fom publicity. Soon afterwards a paper of the same deno-
lation, but published by another speculator, was com-
Incnced. Its appearance and purposes were told to the
public in the autumn of 1675 by circulars or handbills, one
of which has fortunately been stored up in the British
Museum. As this curious document gives a comprehensive
outline of the system of newspaper advertising, as it ap-
peared to the most advanced thinkers in the reign of
Qurles IX., we reprint it here in (xtcnso: —
ADVERTISEMENT.
JIZ/IEREAS divfrs feepli are at grmt expense in printings pulf
^'^ lishmg^ and disfetstng of Bills of Advertisements : Observing
kno practical and Advanta^ous to Trade and SustnesSf &*c. this Method
« in parts beyond the Seas.
These are to gcve notice^ That all Persons in such cases concerned
hene^crtk may have pnblished in Print in the Mercury or Bills of Adver-
tisements, which shall come out every week on Thursday mornings and be
ddivrred and diiperstd in every hmtse -where the Bills of Mortollity are
and dsewhercy the Publications and Advertisements of all the
\foilffunHg^ or any other matter or thing not herein mentioned, thai
aksii ndate to the Advancement of Trade, or any lawful business not
pvmUi in propriay to any other.
Nocice cf all Goods, Merchandizes, and Ships to b« sold, the place
where to be seen, and day and hour.
Any ships lo be let to Freight, and the time of their departare, the
place of the ^Taster's habitation, and where to be spoken with before
aud after Exchani^ time.
AU Sbip4. iheir Names, and Burthens, and capacities, and where
their Inventarics are to be .^ecn.
AU other Parcels and Materials or Furmture for shipping in like
Banner.
Any Houses Co be Let or Sold, or Mortgaged, with Notes of their
Con (en (s.
Any Lands or Houses in Qty or Country, to be Sold or Mortgaged.
So
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
^
'fhe Erection, Alteration, or Removal of any Stage-coach, or any
common Carrier.
Adveniaements of any considerable Bargains that are oflered.
Any curious Invention or Experiment that is to be exposed to
Public view or Sale, may be hereby noLi6ed when and where.
Hereby Commissioners upon Commissions against Bankrupts mi
give large notice.
In like manner .any man may give notice as he pleaseth to
Creditors.
Hereby the Settlement or Removal of any Publick Office may
notified.
Hereby all School*master8, and School-mistresses, and Boardi
schools, and Riding-schools or Academiea, may publish the place wbei
their Schools are kept.
And in like manner, where any Bathes or Hot'houses are kept.
And the Place or Key at the Waterside, whereto any Hoy or Vessel
doth constantly come to bring or carry Goods ; as those of ior, Faver*
sham, and Mdiditonef Sec.
A T tM^ O^ce^ ivhuh is (0 be k^t for thi AdvertisaneMis, any Person
^* shaH be informed {ttfithout any Fee) where any Stage-coach stands^
wher-e any common Canier lies, that comes to any Inn ^uiihtn the Bills of
Mortallity, and their daies of coming in and going out.
In like manner all the accustomed Hoys or Vessels that eomt to the
uveral Keys from the several Ports of England,
All Masters and Owners of the several StagC'Coaches^ and the Master'
Carriers, and the Masters of all the Hoys and Vessels above mentioned,
are desired to repair between this and Christmas day next, to the Office
kept for the receipt of the Adi'ertisements, to see if no mistakes be in their
several daies and rates, that the said Boolfs may be declared perfect^ which
shall be MO charge to the Persons concerned.
The Office or Place where any Person may have his desires answered in
anything hereby advertised, is kept in St Michael's Alley in Comhil,
London, right against H'illiams Coffee-hcruse, where co$istani attendance
every day in the IVeeh shall be given, fvm I^ine in the Morning, to Fr
in the Evening, to receive the desires of all Persons in matters of
nature, carefully to answer them in the same,
raitb alIotaanc^
LONDON:
Printed by Andrew Clark, in Aldersgaie Street, 1675*
In accordance with this prospectus, the first number ol
the City Mcratry appeared November 4, 1675.
Hdance
^ft^ism
NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING FORESHADOWED, 8i
We, who are familiar with the thousand and one tricks
resorted to by traders in order to attract attention to their
advertisements, may be apt lo ridicule the artless manner
in which these notices were brought before tlie public of
the seventeenth century. Different types, dividing lines,
woodcuts, and other contrivances to catch the wandering
eye, were still unknown ; and frequently all the advertise-
ments were set forth in one string, without a single break,
or even full stop, as in the subjoined specimen from the
Loyal Impartial Mercury^ November 14-17, 1681 : —
THE House in the Stmnd wherein the Morocco Embassador
lately resided is to be let, fumished or unfurnished, initrely or
ia several parts ; a house in Marklane fit for a marchant ; also very good
lod£:ui£S not far from the Royal Exchange, fit for any rnarchant or gentle-
nan lobe let, inquire at the North West corner of the Ko^al Exchange,
and there you may know further ; inquiry is made at the said ofBce for
places to be Stewards of courts, liberties or franchises, or any office at
kw, or places to be auditor, or receiver, or steward of the household,
or gentleman of horse to any nobleman or gentleman ; or places to be
darks to btewbouses, or wharfs, or suchlike \ aUo any person that is
willing to buy or sell any estates, annuities, or mortgages, or let, or
take any house, or borrow money upon the bottom of 8hip<t, may be
iccoiQOdated at the said office. j
Conciseness was of course necessary when it is recollected*
that the paper was only a folio half-sheet, though the ne^vs
was so scanty that the few advertisements were a boon to
the reader, and were sure lo be read. This was an advan-
tage peculiar to the early advertisers. So long as the papers
were small, and the advertisements few in number, the trade
announcements were almost more interesting than the news.
But when the papers increased in bulk, and advertisements
became common, it behoved those who wished to attract
special attention to resort to contrivances which would
distinguish them from the surrounding crowd of com-
petitors.
The editor of the London Meratry^ in 1681, evidently
jth an eye to making his paper a property on the best of
■
83
HISTORY OF ADVERTISINQ,
■
all principles, requests all those who have houses for sale to
advertise in his columns, *' where," says he, " farther care will
be taken for their disposal than the bare publishing them,
by persons who make it their business." Consequently we
frequently meet in this paper with notices of *' A delicate
House to lett," agreeably varied with advertisements con-
cerning spruce beer, scurvy grass, Dalfy's elixir, and other
specifics, ' Notwithstanding that the utility of advertising as a
means of* obtaining publicity was as yet hardly understood,
the form of an advertisement, according to modern plans,
was, it is curious to observe, frequently adopted at this
period to expose sentiments in a veiled manner, or to
call attention to public grievances. / Thus, for instance,
the first numbers of the Heraciiius Ridens^ published in
i6Si, during the effervescence of the Popish plots, con-
tained almost daily one or more of these political satires,
of which the following may serve as examples. The first,
appears February 4. 1
IF any person out of natural curiosity desire to be furnished wiih
ships or castles in the i\x, or any sorts of prodigies, apparitions,
or sirangc sights, the better to fright people out of their senses, and by
persuading them dicre arc strange judgraonls, changes, and revolutions
hanging over their heads, thereby 10 persuade iheni to pull them down
by discontents, fears, jealousies, and seditions ; let them repair to Ben
Harris, at his shop near the Royal Exchange, where they may t>e fur-
nuihed with all sorts and sizes of them, at very cheap and easy rates.
There is abo to be seen the strange egg with the comet in it which
was laid at Rome, but sent from his Holiness to the said Ben, to make
reparations for his dathagea anstaincd, and as a mark of esteem for his
Kcal and sufTerings in promoting discord among the English bereticks^
and sowing the seeds of sedition among the citizens of London.
The edition of February 15 contains the following: —
TF any protcstant dissenter desire tliis spring time to be furnished with
'*' sedition seeds, or the true protcstant rue, which they call "herb of
grace," or any other hopeful plants of rebcliion. let them repair to the
Camous French gardeners Monsieur F. Smith, Msr. L. Curtis, and Msr.
2. Harris ; where they may have not only of all the kinds which gre
I
I^*EtVSPAPEa ADVERTTSmC FORESHADOWED. S3
ta the garden of the late keepers of the liberty of England ; but much
new variety raiietl by the art and industry of the iaid gardeners, with
dircciions in print when to sow them, and how to ciUUvate them when
they are raised.
You may also have there either green or pickled sallads of rumours
and reports, far more grateful to llie palate, or over a glass of wine,
than your French Champignons Or mushroooui, Popi&h Olives, or Ea^l-
bed Gherkins.
And on March x there was gi\'en to the world : —
A MOST ingenious monkey, who can both write, read, and speak as
-'*- good sense as his ma<itcr, nursed in the kitchen of the laic Com-
monwealth, and when they broke up housekeeping entertained by Nol
Pioteclor, may be seen do all his old tricks over again, for pence apiece,
every Wednesday, at his new master's, Ben. Uarris, in ComhiU.
This was a species of wit similar to that associated with
the imaginary signs adopted in books with secret imprints, in
order to express certain political notions, the sentiments of
which were embodied in the work ; for instance, a pamphlet
just before the outbreak of the Civil War is called, " Vox
Borealis, or a Northeme Discoverie, etc. Printed by Mar-
gery Marprelale, amidst the Babylonians, in Thwack Coat
Lane, at the sign of the Crab Tree Cudgell, without any
privilege of the Catercaps."
One John Houghton, F.R.S., who combined the business
of apothecary with that of dealer in lea, coffee, and choco-
late, in Bartholomew Lane, commenced a paper in 1682,
entitled A CoiUciion for the Improvement of Husbandry and
Trade* which continued to be issued weekly for some time ;
and though it failed, it was revived again on March 30, 1692.
It was modelled on the same plan as the City Merairy of
1675, and was rather ambitious in its views. It consisted of
one foho half-sheet, and was intended to '* lay out for a large
• JohnNicholl, in his "Literary Anccdoles," vol. iv. p. 71, calls the
editor of this paper Benjamin Harris, a well-known publisher of
pamphlets in the reign of Charles II., and says that J. Knighton was
the editor in 1693. This last name may be a clerical error for
Houghton*
I
I
Jl
^
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
Iord,V
correspondence, and for the advantage of tenant, landlord
com merchant, mealman, baker, brewer, feeder of cattle,
farmer, maltster, buyer and seller of coals, hop merchant,
soap merchant, tallow chandler, wood merchant, their cus-
tomers," &c. But no advertisements proper were mentioned
at first J it was a mere bulletin or price-current of the above-
named trades and of auctions, besides shipping news and the
bills of mortality. The first advertisement appeared in the
third number, it was a "book-ad," and figured there all
by itself; and it was not till the 8th of June that the
second advertisement appeared, which assumed the follow-
ing shape : — «
A^=i» FOR the further and better Improvement of Husbandry and V
Trade andfor theEncouragemenltliereof, cspcciallyiii Middle-
sex and the bordering counties, a Person, now at my house in Bartholo*
mew Lane, does undertake to make or procure made, as good molt of
the barley of these counties, and of that Malt as good Ale as is made
at Derby, Nottingham, or any other place now famous for that liquor,
and that upon such reasonable terms as shall be to general satisfaction,
the extraordinary charge not amounting to above one penny per bushd
more than that is now ; only thus much I must advise, if provision be
not made speedily, the opportunity will be lost for the next malting
Ume.
Under the fostering influence of Houghton, who appears
to have been keenly aware of the advantage to be derived
from this manner of obtaining publicity, advertisements of
every kind began gradually to appear, and ere long the '
booksellers, who for some lime had monopolised this paper,
were pushed aside by the other trades ; and so the atten-
tion of the public is by turns directed to blacking balls,
tapestry hangings, spectacles, writing ink, coffins, copper
and brass work, &c. &c. ; and these notices increased so
rapidly that, added to No. 53, which appeared on July 28,
1693, there is a half-sheet of advertisements, which is intro-
duced to the public with the following curious notice : — h
My Collection I shall carr)* on as usual. Tliis part is to give away, ^^
and those who like it not, may omit the reading. I believe it will help
I
NEtVSFAPEJi ADVERTISING FORESHADOWED. 85
Trade, particularly encourage the advertisers to increase the vent of
my papers. I shall receive all sorts of advertisements, but sliall answer
for Uie reasonablenefts of none, unless I give thereof a particular charac*
ter on which (as I shall give it) may be dependatue^ but no argument
Uuu others deserve not as well. I am informed that seven or eight
thousand gazettes are each time printetl, which makes them the most uni*
vers&l Inlelligencers ; but I '11 suppose mine their first handmaid, because
it goes (though not so thick yet) to most parts : It 's also lasting to be
put into Volumes with indexes, and particularly there shall be an index
of all the advertisements, whereby, for ages to come, they may be
taefuL
This first sheet consists solely of advertisements about
newly published books, but it concludes : —
^r Whither *tis vorth while to give an account of ships sent in for
lading or ships arrived, with the like for coaches and carriers ; or to
give notice of approaching fairs, and what commodities are chiefly sold
there, I must submit to the judgment of those concerned.
The advertisements in Houghton*s CoUection may ap-
pear strange to the reader accustomed to rounded sen-
tences and glott-ing peiiods, but in the reign of William III.
the general absence of education rendered the social element
more unsophisticated in character. In those old days the
advertiser and editor of the paper frequently speak in the
first person singular j also the advertiser often speaks through
the editor. A few specimens taken at random will give the
reader a tolerably good idea of the style then prevalent : —
■ A very eminent brewer, and one I know to be a very honest
gentleman, wants an apprentice ; I can give an account of hiin.
I want a house keeper rarely well accomplished for that pur-
pose! 'Tis for a suitable gentleman.
I know of valuable estates to be sold,
— ^ I want several apprentices for a valuable tradesman.
1 can help to ready money for any library great or small or
parcels of pictures or household goods.
I want a negro man that is a good house carpenter and a good
shoemaker.
*«* 1 want a young man about 14 or 15 years old that can trim and
took after a peruke. 'Tis to wait on a merchant.
i
1
HISTORY OF ADVERT ISING,
I want a pritty boy to wait on a gentleman who will take care
of him and put him out an spprentice.
If any gentleman wants a housekeeper, I believe I can help to
the best in England.
Many masters want appirentices and many youths want masters.
If they apply themselves to me, I'll strive to help them. Also for
variety of valuable services.
By reason of my great corresponding, I may help masters to appren-
tices and Apprentices to Masters. And now is wanting Three Boyis,
one wilhj^yo, one witb ;^3Qi and a Scholar wilhj^6o.
1 know of several curious women that wouM wail on ladies
be housekeepers.
Now I want a gocxl usher'i place in a Grammar school.
I want a young man that can write and read, mow and roll %
garden, use a gun at a deer, and understand country sports, and to vrait
at table, and such like. ^_
If any younn man that plays well on the violin and writes ft^|
good hand desires a cierkihip, I can help him to ^20 a year. ^^
- — - I want a complete yowng man, that will wear livery, to wait on a
veiy valuable gentleman, but he must know how to play on a violin or
a 0ute.
I want a genteel footman that con play on the violin to w^t on
a person of honour.
If I can meet with a sober man that has a counter tenor v«c<^^_
I can help him to a phice worth ;^30 tltc year or more. ^H
This continual demand for musical servants arose from
the fashion of making them take part in musical perform-
ances, of which cusloni we find frequent traces in Pepys.
Altogether the most varied accomplishments appear to,
have been expected from servants ; as, for instance, —
1
If any Justice of the Peace wants a clerk, I can help to on
that has been so seven years ; understands accounts, to be butler, also
to receive money. He also can shave and buckle wigs.
The editor frequently gives special testimony as to the
respectability of the advertiser : — ^
If any one wants a wet nunc, I can help them, as I am in*
formed, to a very good one.
I know a gentlewoman whose family is only her husband her-
self and maid, and would to keep her company lake care of a child.
d
NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING FORESHADOWED. 87
two or three, of ihree years old or upwards. She is my fjood friend,
uid sach a one that whoever put Lheir children to her, I am sure will
eive me ihonks, and think themselves happy, let Ihcm be what rank
they will.
I have been lo Mr Ftrmin's work house in Litltc Britain, and
seen a jn"eat many pieces of what seems to me excellent linen, made
by the poor in and about London, ile will sell it at reasonable rates,
and I believe whatever house keepers go there to buy will not repent,
and on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the forenoon he is always there
himselt
I have met with a curious gardener that will fumLsh any body
that sends to me for fruit trees, and floreal .shrub;, and garden seeds.
I have made him promise with all solemnity that whatever he scnd-s
shall be purely good, and I verily believe he may be depended on.
One that has ivaited on a lady divers years, and understands all
aflairs in housekeeping and the needle, desires some such place. She
a discreet, staid body.
At Other times Houghton recommends "a tidy foot-
roan," a " quick, well-looking fellow," or " an extraor-
dinary cook-maid ; '* and obberves of a certain ladysmaid,
who offered her services through his CoHtction^ "and truly
she looks and discourses passing well.'' Occasionally he
also guarantees the situation ; thus, applying for "a suit-
able man that can read and write, and will wear a Hvery,"
he adds for the information of flunkeys in general: "I
believe that 'twill be a very good place, for 'tis to serve a
fine gentleman whom I well know, and he will give ;^5
the year besides a livery." Imagine Jeames of Belgravia
being told he should have £^ for his important annual
Bervices ! Another time ** 'tis to wait on a very valuable
old batchelor gentleman in the City." Again, he recom-
mends a Protestant French gentleman, who is willing to
wait on some person of quality, and Houghton adds,
" from a valuable divine, my good friend, I have a very
good character of him." Of a certain surgeon, whom he
advertises, he says, " I have known him, I believe, this
twenty years." All these recommendations bear an unmis-
takable character of truth and honesty on their face, and are
3
88
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
very different from the commendatory paragraphs which
nowadays appear in the body of a paper because of long
advertisements which are to be found in the outer sheet
Nor is the worthy man ever willing to engage his word
further than where he can speak by experience ; in other
ca^es, an *' I believe," or some such cautious expressioOj
invariably appears. Recommending a hairdresser, hi
says —
I know a peruke maker that pvetenJs to make perukes extra-
ordinary fashionable, and will sell good pcunyworths ; I can direct to
him.
1
And once, when a number of quack advertisements had
found their way into the paper, old Houghton, with a sly
nod and a merry twinkle in his eye, almost apparent as
one reads, drily puts his "index" above them, with t
following caution : —
tm
0" Pray, mind the preface to this h:i1f sheet. Like lawyers, I take
all causes. 1 may fairly ; who likes not may stop here.
A tolerably broad hint of his disbelief in the said nostrums
and elixirs. Even booksellers had to undergo the test
of his ordeal, and having discovered some of their short-
comings, he warned them — ^|
*«* I desire all booksellers to send me no new titles to old book^
for they will be rejected.
When a book of the right reverend father in God John
Wilkins, late Bishop of Chester, was published, Houghton
recommended it in patronising terms —
I hare read this book, and do think it a piece of great ingenuitjfj^l
becoming the Bishop of Chester, and is useful for a great many pur*
poacs, both profit and pleasure.
Of another work he says — ^|
With delight have I read over this book, and think it a rer;
good one.
NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING FORESHADOWED. 89
Thus, notwithstanding the primitive form of the advertise-
ments, the benefit to be derived from this mode of publicity
began to be more and more understood. It was not with-
out great trouble, however; and it was necessary that
Houghton should constantly direct the attention of the
trading community to the resources and advantages of
advertising, which he did in the most candid manner. He
simply and abruptly puts the question and leaves those
interested to solve it. Thus : —
Whether advertisements of schools, or houses and lodgings
about London may be useful, I submit to Uiosc concerned.
And the answer came ; for a few days after the public
were informed that
At one Mr Packer's, in Crooked Lane, next the Dolphin, are
very good Lodgings to be let, where there \% freedom from noise, and
a pretty garden.
Freedom from noise and a pretty garden in a street lead-
ing from Eastcheap to Fish Street Hill I Shortly after
Houghton calmly observes : —
■ I now find advertisements of schools, liouses and lodgings in
and about London arc thought uscrul.
He then starts other subjects : —
1 believe some advertisements about bark and timber might be
of use both to bu]rer and seller.
*,* 1 find several barbers think it their interest to take in these
impers, and I believe the rest \n\\ when they understand them.
The barber's shop was then the headquarters of gossip,
as it took a long time to shave the whole of a man's beard
and curl a sufficient quantum of hair or wig, as worn in
those old days, and so the man of suds was expected to
entertain his customers or find them entertainment. Next
turning his attention to the clergy, Houghton offers that
body a helping hand also : —
•»• I would gladly serve tlic clergy in all their wantt
90 mSTOR Y OF AD VERTISIXC,
How he understood this friendly help soon appeared :^]
If any divine or their relicts have complete sets of mcmuscri]
sermons upon the Epistles and the Gospels, the Catechism or FestiTO
I can help them to a customer.
The use of second-hand semions was not unknown in
those days, and detection was of course much less imminent^
than now. Then — I
I have sold all the manuscript sermons I had and many more,
and if any has any more to dispose of that are good and legibly writ,!
believe I can help them to costomers.
Possibly the "many more" was a heavy attempt
humour; but anyhow the sermon article was in great d
mand, arid his kindly services did not rest there: —
I
If any incumbent within 20 miles of London will dispose of his
living, I can help him to a chapman.
A rectory of ;^ioo per annum in as good an air as any in Eng-
land, 60 miles offi and an easy cure is to be commuted,
A vicaridgc and another cure which requires service but once a
month, value £,'^. 'Tis in Kent about 60 miles from London.
And so on, proving that the clergy had not refused the
friendly offer, and were fully as ready as the tradesman to
avail themselves of this means of giving vent to their wani
and requirements.
Houghton would occasionally do a little business
oblige a friend, though it is fair to assume that he particij
pated in the profits : —
*,* For a friend, I can sell wry good flower of brimstone, etc,
cheap or cheaper than any in town docs ; and I '11 sell any good com*
modity for any man of repute if desired.
I find publishing for others docs them kindness, therefore note 5
1 sell lorengcs for 8d. the ounce which good drinkers commend against
heartburn, and are circellent for women with child, to prevent mis-
carriages ; also the true lapis nephriiicus which is esteemed excellent for
Ihc stone by wearing it on the wrist.
I would gladly buy for a friend the historical part of ComeUi
Lnpidc upon the Bible.
NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING FORESHADOWED, 91
Besides tlie above particular advertisements, the paper
frequently contained another kind, which to us may appear
singularly vague and unbusinesslike, but which no doubt
perfectly answered their purpose among a comparatively
minute metropolitan population, the subjects of William
IIL We allude to general advertisements such as these : —
Last week was imported
Bacon by Mr Edwards.
Cheese by Mr EraHcia.
Corral Beads by Mr pa^en.
Crabs Eyes by Mr I/arvfy.
Horse Hair by Afr Becens.
Joynted Babies by Mr Harrison,
Mapps by Mr Thompson.
Onmge Flower Water by Mr BtUamy,
Prospective Glasses by Mr Mas^m.
SniTron by Mr Western ,
Sturgeon by Afr K^t.
If any dcsicc it other things may be inserted.
In Similar style a most extraordinary variety of other
tiungs imported are advertised in subsequent numbers,
including crystal stones, hops, oxguts, incle, juniper, old
pictures, onions, pantiles, quick eels, rushes, spruce beer,
sturgeon, trees, brandy, chimney backs, caviar, tobacco-
pipes, whale-fins, bugle, canes, sheep's-guts, washballs and
snuff, a globe, aqua fortis, shruffe, quills, waxworks, ostrich
feathers, scamony, clagiary paste, Scotch coals, sweet soap,
onion seed, gherkins, mum, painted slicks, soap-berries,
mask-leather, and so on, for a long time, only giving the
names of the importers, without ever mentioning their
addresses, until at last a bright idea struck this gentleman,
who seems to have been one of those vulgarly said to be
before their lime, but who are in fact the pioneers wlio
pave tlie way for all improvements ; and so the Colkctiott
was enriched with the following notice : —
If desired lit set down the places of abode, and I am sure
*lwiU be of good use : for I am often asked it.
93 HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
Houghton was indeed so well aware of the utility of
giving the addresses, that in order to render his paper
more permanently useful, he published, apparently on his
own account, not only the addresses of some of the prin-
cipal shops, but also a list of the residences of the leading
doctors. From this we gather that in June 1694 there
were 93 doctors in and about London, also that Dr (after-
wards Sir) Hans Sloane lived at Montague House (now
the British Museum), Dr Radcliffe in Bow Street, and Dr
Garth, by Duke Street. At the conclusion of this list
publisher says : —
1 shall also go the round, T. of Counsellors and Altomeys ; 11.
Surgeons and Gardincrs ; III. of Lawyers and Attorneys ; iv. Scho
and Woodmongers ; V. IJrokers, coaches and carriers, and such likci
and then round again, beginning with Phyailians.
1
Thus by untiring perseverance, and no small amount
thought and study, Houghton trained his contemporari
in the art of advertising, and made them acquainted witK
the valuable assistance to be derived from a medium which,
as Alexis de TocqueviUe remarks, drops the same thought
into a thousand minds at almost the same period. Apart
from the interest which his papers have on the subject we
have been considering, they are fuU of graphic details which
throw a clear and effective light on these old and bygone
times. What can give a more vivid picture of the state of
the roads in this country in winter-time, nearly two cen-
turies ago, than the following notice extracted from the
CoUccdon for Husbandry and Trade^ March 10, 1693; — m
Roads are filled with snow, we arc forced to ride with the
paquet over hedges and ditches. This day seven-night my boy with
the paquet and two gentlemen were seven hours riding from Dunstable
to Hockley, but three nuies, liardly escaping with their lives, being
often in liules and forced to be drawn out with ropes. A man and a
wotnan were found dead within a mile hence. I fear I have lost my
letter-carrier, who has not been heard 01 since Thursday lost. Six
hordes lie dead on the road between Hockley and Brickhill, smollicred.
i
tTEWSJPAPMR ADVERTISING FORESHADOWED. 93
I wn told last nig^t that lately was foand dead near BeaumazaU three
SMen and three horses.
At this picture of those good old times for which people
who know nothing about them now weep, we will stop.
The rest of the story, so far as the development of adver-
tiianents is concerned, will be told in strict chronological
Older.
CHAPTER VL
^
DBVELOPMENT OF ADVERTISING*
WE have now arrived at a period when the value
of advertising was beginning to make itself felt
among even the most conservative, and when it at last
began to dawn upon the minds so unaccustomed to change
or iniprovement, that a new era in the history of trade was
about to commence, even if it had not commenced already.
So the newspapers of the latter half of the seventeenth cen-
tury begin to offer fresh inducements to the reader, no matter
whether to the antiquarian or simply curious. And he
must be a flippant reader indeed who is not impressed by
these files of musty and bygone journals, pervaded by the
spirit of a former age, and redolent of the busy doings of
men who generations ago were not only dead but forgotten.
Few things could be more suggestive of the steady progress
of Time, and the quite as steady progress of his congeners,
Death and Forgetfulness, than these papers. Novelists and
essayists have described in most eloquent words the feelings
which are aroused by the perusal of suddenly-discovered
and long-forgotten letters ; and similar feelings, though of a
much more extended description, are evoked by a glance
through any volume of these moth-eaten journals. A writer
of a few years back, speaking of the advertisements, says,
" As we read in the old musty files of newspapers those ftaive
announcements, the very hum of bygone generations seems
to rise to the ear. The chapman exhibits his quaint
wares, the mountebank capers again upon his stage, wc
DEVELOPMENT OF ADVERTIsmC,
95
have the living portrait of the highwayman flying from
justice, we see the old-china auctions thronged with ladies
of quality with their attendant negro-boys, or those by * inch
of candle-light/ forming many a Schalken-like picture of
light and shade ; or later still we have Hogarthian sketches
of the young bloods who swelled of old along the Pall- Mall.
We trace the moving panorama of men and manners up to
our own less demonstrative, but more earnest times; and all
these cabinet pictures are the very daguerreotypes cast by
the age which they exhibit, not done for effect, but faithful
reflections of those insignificant items oi life and things,
too small, it would seem, for the generalising eye of the his-
torian, however necessary to clothe and fill in the dry bones
of his history." Indeed, turning over these musty volumes
of newspapers is for the imaginative mind a pleasure equal
to reading the TatUrox Spectator^ or the plays of the period.
By their means Cowper's idea of seeing life " through the
loopholes of retreat " is realised, and characteristic facts and
landmarks of progress in the history of civilisation are
brought under our notice, as the busy life of bygone genera-
tions bursts full upon us. We see the merchant at hLs door,
and inside the dimly-lit shops obser\'e the fine ladies of the
time deep in the mysteries of brocades and other articles of
the feminine toilet, whose very names are now lost to evea
the mercers themselves. And not alone intent on flowered
mantuas and paduasoys are they, for we can in fancy see them,
keen ever to a fancied bargain, pricing Chinese teapots or
Japanese cabinets, and again watch them as, with fluttering
hearts, they assist at lotteries for valuables of the quality fami-
liar to "knockouts" of our own time. We hear the lament
of the beau who has lost his clouded amber-headed cane
or his heart at the playhouse, and listen to the noisy quacks
vending their nostrums, each praising his own wares or de-
preciating those of his rivals. We seethe dishonest serving-
man rush past us on the road carrying the heterogeneous
treasures which have tempted his cupidity. Soon the '* Hue
I
1
96 msrVR Y OF AD V£R TJSING.
and Cry" brings the same ill-favoured malefactor before u:
in an improved character as horsc-stealcr and highwayman ;
and ere long we hear of the conclusion of his short drama at
Tyburn. Thus the various advertisements portray, with mo
or less vividness, lineaments of the times and the charact
of the people.
That the newspapers were early used for the purpose
giving contradictions by means of advertisement, or effecting
sly puffs, is shown by the following, which was doubtless
intended to call attention to the work, and which was pu
lished in the form of an ordinary paragraph in the Afodd
Intelligence^ April 15-22, 1647 : —
There came forth a book this day relating how a divil did appear
in the house or yard of Mr Young, mercer in Lombard St, with a
great many particulars there related ; It is desired by the gentleman of
that house, and those of his family, that all that arc credulous of those
things (which few wise are), may be assured that its all fabulous,
and that there was never any such thing. It is (rue there is a do^, and
that dog hath a chain, and the gentleman's son played upon an instro-
mcnt of music for his recreation, — but these arc to be seen, which ft
spirit sure never was. «
There is a logical deduction about the conclusion of this'
which it is to be hoped forced itself upon the minds of
those who were ready to believe not only in the existence
but in the visibility of spirits ; and if the paragraph was but
a lift for the book after all, it surely deserved success, if only
for the quaint way in which it admits to the dog and the boy
and the musical instrument, a combination equal upon an
emergency to the simulation of a very powerful devil. In the
very next edition of the same paper wc come upon a para-
graph which is even more direct in its advertising properties,
which, in fact, might have been dictated by editorial " friend-
ship" in these days, instead of in the first half of the seven-
teenth century. It nms thus : —
You should have had a notable omiion made by the Bishop of Ango
lesrae and Grand .Mmoner to his Majesty of England, at a Conveotic
in Paris in favour of the Calholicks in England and Ireland, but
The ij.of May.
I-EEKELY
cvvcs from Italy^
SRMANIE, HVNGARI A,
OHEMIA, the PALATINATE,
France, and the Lo^ Countries.
I
tHfUtti. outoftheLoTtf T>vt6 Qofk.
London,
iWd by Z V. for TsOchokis iBoume and ThomM
fer,»Ddaie to be fold at thdr fhopsaCth]
&dlifi^f, and in To^-Ua^^ci^'
i6zx.
DEVELOPMENT OF ADVERTISING. 97
OTcrlazse it will be mftde public the beginning of next week by itself
it is worth reading especially b^ those who are for a general! toleration
when they may clearly see it is the broad way to the destniction of
these kingdomznes.
"What is considered by many to be the first b&tia fide
and open advertisement ever published appears in a paper
entitled Several Proceedings in Parliament^ and is found
under the date November 28-December 5, 1650. It runs
thus : —
BY the late tnimilt made the 37 of November, whereof j-ou have
the narration before ; in the night time in Bcxfield, in the county
ofKorfollc, about 12 Horses were stolen out of the town, whereof a bay-
bald Gelding with three white feet, on the near buttock marked with
R. F., 9 or 10 years old. A bay-bald Mare with a wall-eye and a red
star in her face, the near hind foot white, 7 years old. A black brown
Mare, trots all, 6 years old. Whomsoever brings certain intelligence
where they arc to Mr Badcraft of Ikxficld, in Norfolk, they shall have
aos. for each Horse.
The following number of the same paper, that for De-
cember 5-12, 1650, contains this : —
A bright Mare, 12 hands high, one white foot behind, a white patch
below the saddle, near the side, a black main, a tailc cut, a
natural ambler, about 10//. price, stolne, Dccemb. 3. ncarc Guilford.
John Rylands, a butcher, tall and ruddy, flaxen hairc, about, 30 years 9f
■ge, is suspected. Mr. Brounloc, a stocking dier, near the Three
Craynes, in Tbames^s Streete, will satisfy those who can make discovery.
In 16551 Lilly the astrologer availed himself of what was
then considered the new plan for ventilating a grievance,
and accordingly, in the Perfect Diurnal of April 9-16, he
published the following fuU-fledged advertisement, one of
the earliest extant : —
An Advertisement from Mr William IMly.
WHEREAS there are several flying reports, and many fal?e and
scandalous speeches in the mouth of many people in this City,
tending unto this eflect, viz. : That I, William Lilly, should predict or
say there would be a great Fire in or near the Old Exchange, and another
in St John's Street, and another in the Strand near Temple Bar, and in
leveial other parts of the City. These are to certifie the whole City that
G
98
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
■O-
1
I protest before Almighty Cod, that I never wrote any such thing",
never spoke any such word, or ever thought of any such thing, or
or all of those particular Places or Slrecls, or any other parts. The
untruths are forged by ungodly men and women to disturb the quij
people of this City, to amaze the Nation, and to cast asjiersions an^
scandals on me : God defend this City and all her inhabitants, not onlj
from Fire, but from the Plague, Pestilence, or Famine, or any otl
accident or mortality that may be prejudicial unto her greatnesse-
This, if noticed and recollected, must have destroyed,
at least damaged, Lilly's fame, when the great fire really did
take place ; but then eleven years is a long time, long
enough indeed to have included many and various pro-
phecies. Certainly modern astrologers would have turned
to account the mere fact of having been accused of pro
phesying such a fire or any portion of it In a previo
chapter we have given a specimen of the earliest advcrtis
ments with regard to the coaching arrangements of this lira
and now append the following, which would seem to show,
singular as it may appear, that the simpler form, in fact
the first principle, of travelling by means of saddle-horses,
was not arranged until after coaches had been regularly
appointed. It appears in the Mercuriui Politicus tow
the end of the year 1658 : —
The Postmasters on Chester RoaJ^ petilioniHg, have rectived Ot
and {ic accordingly publish the Jollmsnng advertisfment : —
ALL Gentlemen, Merchants, and others, who have occasion to ti
•^*- between London and Wrstchester^ Manchester^ and Warringtc
or any other town upon that Road, for the accommodation of Trade,
dispatch of Business, and case of Purse, upon every Monday, Wednesday,
and FridayMoming, betwixt Six and icn of the Clock, at the house of Mr
Christopher Charteris^ at llie sign of the Hart's-Hom, in VVcst-Smith-
fi eld, and Post-Master there, and at the Posl-Mastcr of Chester^ at th<
Post-Master of Manchester^ and at the Post-master of Warrin^ton^ ml
have a good and able single Horse, or more, furnished at Threepence
Mile, without the chaise of a Guide ; and so likewise at the house
Mr Thomas Challencr^ Po&t-Ma&ter, at Stone in Staffordshire, uj
every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday's Moniing, to go for Londo
And so likewise at all the several Post-Masters upon the Road, wl
will have all such set days so many Horses with Furniture iu readii
DEVELOPMENT OF ADVERTISING,
99
1 the Riders without any slay to carry them to or from any
the places aforesaid, in Four rfay^, as well to Lonthn as fmm thence,
and to places nearer in less time, according as their occasions sboil
Wqmre, ihey iogaging at the firit Stage where they lake Horse,
for ibc safe delivery of the same to the next immedtnte Stage, and not to
tide that HorMS without consent of the Post^Mastcr by whom he rides,
ood so from Stage to Stage to the Journeys end. Aii these wka
tmtmJ U ride this way are desired to give a liilU twtiee beforehand^
ij C9^venxmily ihey ccMj to the several Post-maslers Tt'here they first take
harse^ Vfherehy they may be furnished with so many Horses as the Riders
ihali require with exfeKiiiion. Tliis undertaking began the 28 of June
2658 at ail the Places abovesaid, and so continues by the several Post-
UAstcrs.
It is hard to understand how, even if he received
notice beforehand, the first postmaster was enabled to
guarantee the readiness of the remaining officials, unless
iDdecd messengers were constantly passing backwards and
forwards on each route. The intimation that the three-
pence per mile does not include a guide docs something to
dear up the mystery* and at the same time gives an idea as
to the state of the roads at that time. One would imagine
from the existence of such a being that the track was
across a morass, or by the side of a precipice, and not along
la highroad of " merrie England," in those good old times
for which so many sigh now. Who, although the necessity
for tlie highway is far less than it was two hundred years
ago, cao imagine a guide being required nowadays for no
other purpose than that of preventing the wayfarer from
straying off the beaten track, and losing his horse, and
probably himself, in some gigantic slough or quagmire I It
is with difficulty one can now realise to himself the fact,
that as late as the middle of the seventeenth century, the
interior of the country was little better than a wilderness;
but that it was so may be easily gathered by a reference
to Pepys, who, in the diary of his journey to Bristol and
back, makes frequent mention of guides, and finds them far
Irom unnecessary or inexpensive.
servants of the olden time do not improve upon
rord I
loo HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
acquaintance, as the following specimen advertisement
the Mercurius Poliiicus of July 1658 will show : —
IF any one can give notice of one EJtvani Perry^ being al^out the age
of eighteen or nineteen )*ears, of low stature, black hair, full of
pock-holes in his face ; he wcarcth a new gray suit trimmecl with green
and otlicr ribbons, a light Cinnamon- colored cloak, and black hat, who
run away lately from hts Master ; they are desired to bring or sen<l word
to Tho. Firb)\ Stationer, at Gray's Inne gate, who will thaokfi
reward theni.
This pay and dashing youth, whose pock-holes were possi-
bly in those days regarded as but beauty-spots, with the
additional recommendation of showing that their wearer
had passed through the then dreaded and terrible onleal,
was doubtless an idle apprentice travelling in the direction
since made famous by one who served hi« full indentures.
Ugly as the young gentleman just described may seem to^
the hypercritical tastes of the nineteenth century, he, as wi^|
will presently show, is a perfect beauty compared with any^
individual specimen picked out at random from the long
lists of criminals published in old newspapers. From
these lists some conception may be formed of the ravages^
of the small-pox, and its effect upon the appearance of Ch^B
great bulk of the population. Every man and woman seeras^
to have been more or less marked — some slightly, some
frightfully pitted or fretted, as the term then was ; yet
even now we have every day instances of violent and
ignorant opposition to vaccination, an opposition which
is loud-mouthed and possessed of considerable influence
over the lower orders, who arc led to believe that vaccina-
tion is the primary cause of all epidemic disease, including
that which it most professes to prevent. 1
About this time highwaymen, who during the wars wer^H
almost unknown, began toexhibit a strong interestin the port-^*
able property of travellers ; and as they took horses when-
ever they could find them, notices of lost, stolen, or strayec
animals became frequent. It is much to be feared that th<
dashing knight of the road, who robbed the rich to give
]
DEVELOPMENT Of AtH'ERTi^lSG. loi
the poor, is a complete myth, and that the fHicvcs who in-
fested the highway were neitlier brave nor hamisoa.e, and
not above picking up, and keeping, the most triflulg tWpgs
that came in their way. The quality of these ritlcrs.ifi[p)t'
be guessed by means of the following, from the Mercurius*
Po/itiius of February 1659, the subject of which, singularly '
^^diBferent from the ''prancing prads" of which enthusiasts
^^kive written, seems to have been boaowed by one of ■
■ ~ I
1^^* A Small black NAG, some ten or eleven years old, no while at nil, H
•**- bob-Tailctl, wcl forchatidetl, somewhat ihin behind, thick ITcels, H
tad goclh crickling and lamish behind at his first going out ; the hair is ™
beat off upon his far Hip as broad as a twclvepeiice ; lie halb a black
leather Saddle trimmed with blew, and covered witli a black Calve^-skin,
its a Utile torn upon the Pummel ; two new Cirtha of white and green
llucad. and black Bridle, the Rein whereof is sowed on the off side,
and a knot to draw it on the near side, Stoln out of a field at Chiims'
fartlt 31 /"rfrwury instant, from Mr Henry BulUn. Whosoever can
bring itdlngs to the said Mr BulUn^ at Bromfiild, or to Mr Nevaman
at the Grocer's Arms in Cornhil^ shall have 20s. for his pains.
It is supposed by some that the great amount of horse-
stealing which prevailed during the Commonwealth, and for
tiie next fifty years, was caused by an inordinate scarcity
of animals consequent upon casualties in the battle-field.
This can hardly be correct, unless, indeed, the object of
the foe was always to kill horses and capture men, a state
of things hardly possible enough for the most determined
theorist. One fact is noticeable, and seems to have been
quite in the interest of the thieves — namely, that when at
grass most horses were kept ready saddled. This practice
may have arisen during the Civil Wars from frequent emcr-
^^bency, a ready-saddled horse being of even greater compara-
^^Kvc value than the traditional bird in tlie hand \ and we all
^^Know how hard it is to depart from custom which has been
^^nce establist\ed. That the good man was merciful to his
l^ll^st in those days hardly appears probable, if we are to
[J lake the small black nag as evidence. His furniture, too,
I
103
///srd/? y OF ad ver vising.
seems TnucV»mote adapted for service than show, despi
its variety of 'colours J and perhaps the animal may ha
l^etrr seii?ed, as was not uncommon, by some messenger
. *6t;Ufc making the best of his wayfrom one part of the kin
?fom to another. Before the year 1636 there was no su
thing as a postal scr\'ice for the use of the people. T
Court had, it is true, an establishment for the forwarding
of despatches, and in Cromwell's time much attention
was paid to it; but it was, after all, often in not much better
form than when Bryan Tukc wrote as follows during the six-
teenth century : *' The Kinges Grace hath no mor ordinary
postes, ne of many days hatlie had, but betweene London
and Calais. . , . For, sir, ye knowe well that, except th
hackney-horses betweene Gravcsendc and Dovour, there
no suche usual conveyance in post for men in this realme,
as in the accustomed places of France and other partes ; ne
men can keepe horses in redynes withoute som way to
bere the charges ; but when placardcs be sent for suche
cause [to order the immediate forwarding of some Stat
packet], the cotistabUs many iymes bejayne to take horses oh
of pioues and cartesj wherein can be no extreme dUi^ence.^ In
Elizabeth's reign a horse-post was established on each of the
great roads for the transmission of the letters for the Court;
but the Civil Wars considerably interfered with this, an<|H
though in the time of Cromwell public posts and con-^^
veyanccs were arranged, matters were in a generally loose
state after his death, and during the reign of his sovereign
majesty Charles II. Truly travelling was then a venture-
some matter. ^^
^_^ In 1659, also, wc come upon an advertisement having™
^H reference to a work of the great blind bard John Milton.
^^ It appears in the Mercurius Poiitiais of September, and is
I as follows :—
/CONSIDERATIONS toudiing the likeliest means to remove Ilire-
^— ' lings out of ihc Church ; wherein is also dUcours'd of Tithes,
Church Fees. Church Kcvenues, and whether any maintenance of
DEVELOPMENT OF ADVERTISING. loj'
inislen can be «ttled by Law. The author, J. M. Sold by Livrwd
z/UKdjff, al the Crown in l'oi»e*s Head Alley.
Here we are, then, brought as it were face to face with one
of the brightest names in the brightest list of England's
poets. This work is almost swanopcd amid a host of quaintly
and someUmes fiercely titled controversial works, with which
the press at that time teemed. The poet seems to have
known what was impending, and to have conscientiously
put forth his protest. We can guess what weight it had
with the hungering crowds anxiously awaiting the coming
change, and ready to be or do anything so long as place
was provided for them. In something like contrast with
the foregoing is this we now select from a number of the
same paper in December of the same year : —
Getfrge Weale^ a Comiskh youth, about l8 or 19 years of age,
senring as an Apprentice at Khigstcn, with one Mr Weafe^ an
Apothccaiy, and his Uncle, about the time of the rising of the Counties
Kent and Surrty^ went secretly from his said Uncle, and is conceived
to bavc engaged in the same, and to W either deud or slain in some of
those fights, having never iince been heard of, either by his snid Uncle
or any of his Friends. If any person can give notice of the certainty
of ihc death of the said Gtorgr tf-'^a/r, let liira repair to the said A/r
Grauni his House in Drum-alley in Drury L&ne, London; he shall
hare twenty bhiltings fur lus pain&.
This speaks volumes for the peculiarities of the times.
Nowadays, in the event of war, anxious relatives are soon
put out of their snspense by means of careful bulletins and
regular returns of killed and wounded ; but who can tcU
the amount of heart-sickness and hope deferred engendered
by the " troubles " of the seventeenth century, or of anxious
thought turned towards corjjses mouldering far away, among
whom was most likely George Weale, perhaps the only one
of the obscure men slain in '* some of those fights," whose
name has been rescued from oblivion.
In 1660 we find Milton again in the hands of his pub-
lisher, just at the time when the Restoration was considered
complete, alone amid the pack that were ready to fall down
104
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
before the young King, who was to do so much to prove th
value of monarchy as compared with the Commonwealth.
" The advertisements," says a writer, referring lo this period,
"which appeared during the lime that Monk was tern
porising and sounding his way to the Restoration, form
capital barometer of the stale of feeling among politic
men at that critical juncture. We see no more of the old
Fifih-Monarchy spirit abroad. Ministers of the steeple-
houses evidently see the storm coming, and cease their
long-winded warnings to a backsliding generation. Every
one is either panting to take advantage of the first sunshine
of royal favour, or to deprecate its wrath, the coming
shadow of which is clearly seen. Meetings are advertised
of those persons who have purchased sequestered estates,
in order that they may address the King to secure them ia
possession ; Parliamentary aldermen repudiate by the same
means charges in the papers that their names are to be
found in the list of those persons who *sat upon the tr>-al
of the late Kingj' the works of Mate' bishops begin again
to air themselves in the Episcopal wind that is clearly
setting in ; and 'The Tears, Sighs, Complaints, and Prayers
of the Church of England' appear in the advertising
columns, in place of the sonorous titles of sturdy old
Baxter's works. It is clear there is a great commotion at
hand ; the leaves are rustling, and the dust is moving."
In the midst of this, however, there was one still faithful
the ** old cause," as Commonwealth matters had got to b
called by the Puritans ; and on the 8th of March, just whe
the shadow of the scei)tre was once again thrown upo
Great Britain, we find the following in the Mcrcurius Poh
ticus ; —
'T^HE ready and easie way to eslabti&h a free CommonwcaJlli, ar
^ the excellence thereof compnrcd with ihc inconveniences
dangers of leadmutiiij^ Kinship in this Nation. The Author, J.
Wherein, by reason of ihc Printer's haite, the Errata not comiD);
time, it hi dcsirec! that the following faults may be amended. Po^ 9*'
Hoc 32, for the Areo/nipu read 0/ Anv/ii^s. P. 10, 1. 3, tor /uU
1
1.
i
I
Mwi^.
1.
it '^^eddy Account:
Cootainingy V
^m Special and Remarkable Pafsagcs
En both Houfcs of Parliament; And .
Cgllcdionsof fevrrall Lctrcnfrom the I
Annies. ^
nmtt h Licenfed, and Intrcd imo rk Repftcr-Book of Uic
f^ny of StM$40Mtni And Printed by Bernard Aisop^
Wfd'^tfJ^ the 6.orjan.to^#i/M«yS^the i ^.orjjmvAry.i^,
*^£ J>>t£ -5 1>^7' January 15. n
He CommUTioDeis appointed by
the'^Parllaincnt co go to the
North, and receive the Kiog^
Pcrfon, ami then conduct him
to Holmsby houfe^ave theft
Tht Etarh •fF9mhr$kg.
Sir Ubn Cotki
Sir lamc$ Hsrfiitgtot^,
oMmrftm, vtTi. ^^' Aimihai.aniMr.a^L eo with
(rnmiflioners.
[Commifiioncrs lo ihe Scots A««ny«ttbt^AxV ri^^WxtSssA.^
^ I
DEVELOPMENT OF ADVERTISING.
105
S«rure, trut Senate; L 4, for fits, is the whole Aristocracy ; \. 7,
for Provincial States, States of every City. P. 17, I. 29, for ciu^
citie; I. 30, for left, fiU. Sold by Lh/ewtl Chapman, at the Crown,
tu PopcVhead Alley.
WI10 would think, while reading these calm corrections,
that the poel knew he was in imminent danger, and that
in a couple of months he was to be a proscribed fugitive,
hiding in the purlieus of Westminster from Royalty's myr-
midons? Yet it was so, and the degradation to which
literature may be submitted is proved by the fact that within
the same space of time his works were, in accordance with
an order of the House of Commons, burned by the hang-
man.
The excessive loyalty exhibited about this time by the
lawj'crs, M^ho were then, as now, quite able to look after
their own interests, shows in rather a ludicrous light, viewed
through the zealous officiousness of Mr Nicholas Bacon, who
must have been the fountspring of the following effusion,
which appears in a June, 1660, number of the Mercurius
Posticus : —
X^ITHEREAS one Capt. t7^w^, 0 witness examined a^^inst the late
' ' King's Majesty, in those Records stilcd himself of the ilonor-
ftVjle Society of Grayt Inne, These are to give notice that the said
Cfin^e, being long sought for, was providentially <liscovcrcd in a tlis-
ise, seized in that Society, and now in custody, being cpprchendcd
the help of some spectators that knew him, viewing of a banner
with His Majesties arms, set up just at the same time of His Majesties
landing, on an high tower in the same Society, by A^'icAo/as ^ncon,
Esq., a member thereof, as a memorial of so great a deliverance, and
testimony of his constant loyalty to lits Majesty, and that the said
(TM^r upon examination confa^ed, That he was never admitted not so
much as a Clerk of that Society.
The King does not seem to have enjoyed his own very
long before he was subjected to loss by the dog-stealers,
who, less ready to revere royalty than the lawyers, led to
the publication of the following in the Mercurius Fubiicus
of June 28, 1660; —
loG
HISTORY OF ADVERTJSjNG,
£rp^^ A Smooth BL-ick DOG. less than a Grey-hound, with white und<
^^'^ his breast, belonging to Ihe Kings Majesty, was taken from VVhiK
hall, the eighteenth day of this instant y*'//, or thcreahouti. If am
one can give notice to John Ellis^ one of his Majesties servants* or
hid Majesties Back>Stairs, shall be well rewarded for their labour.
And one who could very probably afford to be despoiled
still less — one of the poor Cavaliers who expected so much
frotu the representative of Divine right, and who were to be
so terribly disappointed — is also victimised, his whole stock
of bag and baggage being annexed by some of those vaga-
bonds who only see in any public excitement a means to
their own enrichment at the expense of others. Fancy the
stale of mind of the elderly gentleman who is so anxious to
present himself at Court, while waiting the return of the^
articles thus advertised in the Mercurius PubUcus of Jul/H
5, 1660 : — "
A LEATHERN Portinantle lost at Sittingbuni or Rochester^
■**■ when his Majesty came thitlier, wherein was a suit of Camolet
Holland, with two little laces in a seam, eight pair of white Gloves, and <<
a pair of Does leallier ; about twenty yards of skic-coloard Ribbon
twelvepenny broad, and a whole piece of black Ribbon tenpenny broad,
a cloath lead-coloured cloak, with store of linnen ; a pair of shooes,
slippers, a Montero, and other things ; all which belong to a gentle-
man (a near sen-ant to Ilis Maje.it)') who hath been too long im-
prisoned and sequestered to be now robbed, when all men hope lo
enjoy their own. If any can give notice, they may leave word with
Mr .SizmN^/ ^//rrj^, His Majesties Book-binder, at liis house in Little
Britain, and they shall be ihankRilIy rewarded.
This Merairius Ptiblkus from wliich we have just quoted
is said to be the PoIUicus we have mentioned in reference
lo earlier advertisements, which turned courtier in imitation
of the general example, and changed its name also in emu-
lation of popular practice. All England seemed then to
have gone mad with excessive loyalty, and it is no wonder
that Charles was surprised that he could have been per-
suaded to stop away so long. The columns of the Mcr-
curius Pubiiats were placed entirely under the direction of
the King, and instead of the slashing articles against mall
»
DBVELOPMENT OF ADVERTISING.
107
tjants, which were wont to appear before its change of title,
it contains, under Restoration dates, virulent attacks upon
the Puritans, and inquiries after his Majesty's favourite
dogs, which had a curious knack of beconiing stolen or lost
In addition to the canine advertisement already given, we
take t]ie following, wliich appears during July, and which
would seem to lia.ve been dictated, if not actually wriucn,
by Charles : —
We inuat call upon you again for a Black Dog, between a Grey-
ound and a Spaniel, no wliite about him, onely a streak on his
Brest, and Tay! a little t>uhbed. It is His Majesties own Dog, and
doubtless was stoln, for the Dog was not bom nor bred in England^ and
woald never foisake his Master. Whosoever Andes him may acquaint
any at ^Vhilchal, for the Dog was lietter known at Court than those w!io
stole him. Will they never leave robbing His Majesty? must he not
keep a Dog? This Dogs place (though better than some imagine) is
the only place which nobody offers to beg.
This is evidently the dog advertised before, and seems to
have been an especial favourite with the merry monarch,
who, one might think, would have had so many dogs that
he could not possibly have missed an individual from
their number. Pepys about this lime describes the King,
with a train of spaniels and other dogs at his heels, lounging
along and feeding the water-fowl in the Park ; and on later
occasions he was often seen talking to his favourite Nell
Cwyn as she leaned from her garden wall in Pall Mall,
^ whilst his four-footed favourites were grouped about. It
^^Kas possibly on these occasions that the gentlemen who
^^■tve such an extraordinary faculty for ''finding" dogs, even
^^Bto this day, saw their opportunities, and marched off
^^nth the choicest specimens. Certainly the dogs were
being constantly lost, and just as constantly advertised.*
In turn we find him inquiring after "a little brindled grey-
lound bitch, having her two hinder feet white;" for a
^hite-haired spaniel, smooth-coated, with large red or
illowish spots ;'' and for a " black mastifl dog, with cropped
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
ears and cut tai!." So it would seem that, fond as his Majesty
wasofdogs.hewasnotabove theirbeingcropped and trimmed
in the manner which has of late years caused all the forces
of a well-known society to be arrayed against the ** fancy"
and the "finders." And not alone did the King advertise
his lost favourites. As the fashion was set, so it was fol-
lowed, and the dogmen's lives must then have been cast in
pleasant places indeed, for Prince Rupert, "my lord Albe-
marle," the Duke of Buckingham, and many other potent
seigniors, arc constantly inquiring after strayed or stolen
animals. The change in the general habits of the time is
very clearly shown by these advertisements. The Puritans
did not like sporting animals of any kind, and it has been
said that no dog would have followed a Fifth-Monarchy
man. Perhaps this dislike accounts for the total absence
of all advertisements having reference to field-sports, or to
animals connected therewith, until the return of the Court
to England. With its return came in once more an aristo-
cratic amusement which had faded out during the stem
days of the Commonwealth, hawking, and we are reminded
of this by the following advertisement for a lost lanner, which
appears in the Mercurius Publicus of September 6, 1660 :
Richard Finney, Esqutnr, of Alaxton, in Leicestershire, about ft
. fortnight since, lost a Lanner from that place ; she hath neither
Bells nor Varvels ; she i* a while Hawk, anil her long feathers and
sarcels arc both in the blood. If any one can give tidings thereof to
Mr Laml;)crl at the Golden Key in Fleet-street, they shall have forty
khiliings for ihcir pains.
If it be true that the Mercurius changed its name from
Poiiticm to Publicus out of compliment to the new King and
his Court, second thoughts seem to have been taken, and
'the original name resumed, for there is a Mirairius Politi£Us\
in November 1660, from which is the following : —
/~^entUnuu, you are desired to take notice. That Mr Thtophilnx
^^ BuckiiMrth doth at his house on MUt'eHd Green make and'
expose to sale, for the publick gcjod, those so famous Lounges or<
ed_
chfl
I
DEVELOPMENT OF ADV'ERTlSiiVG,
^'als^ approred for the aire of Consumption, Coughs, Catarrhs,
oas. Hoarseness^ Strongness of Breath, Colds in general, Diseases
»..^»wtit to the Lungs, and a soyoraign Antidote .Tgainst ihc Plague, and
all other contagious Diseases, and obstructions of the Stomach ; Ami for
more convenience of the people, constantly Jeavelh them sealed up
with his coat of arms on the papers, with Mr Ki<h. LmvmUs {as for-
^^^erly), at the tign of ibc White Lion, near tlie little nonh door of
^^^in// Church ; Mr Henry SeiU^ over against S, Dunstaii's Church in
^^leet Street; Mr WiHiam Mihmrd^ at H'rt/wi«j/<*r Hall Gale ; Mr
^^n Piace, at FurnivaU Inn Gate in Holbom ; and Mr Robert Horn^
St the Turk's Head near the entrance of the Boyal Exdiange, Book-
•cllers, and no others.'
I This is puLlUhed to prevent the dcsigni of divers Pretenders»
who counterfeit the said Lozenges, to the dUpasagcrocnt of
the said Gentleman, and great abuse of the people.
It will be seen from this that quack medicines are by no
means modern inventions — in fact, the wonder is, if our
ancestors look a tithe of the articles advertised, that lliere
is any present generation at all ; so numerous and, even
according to their own showing, powerful were the specifics
advertised on every possible opportunity and in connection
rith every possible disease. As, however, wc shall de-
'Ote special space to charlatans further on> we will here
simply pass to the following, which promises rather too
much for the price. This is also in the Afcratnus Poiificus^
and appears in December i66o : —
MOST Excellent and Approved DeHti/rices io scour and cleanse the
TecUi, making them white as Ivory, preserves from the Tooth-
ft£li ; so that, being constantly used, the parties using it are never
troubled with the Toothach ; it fastens the Teeth, sweetens the Ercath,
and preserves the mouth and gums from Cankers and Imposthumes.
Made hy R^drrf Turner, Gentleman; and the right are onely to be
had at Thomas Rookest Stationer, at the Holy Lamb at the East end
of St Pauls Churchj near the Si:hr>ol, iu sealed papers, at 12d, the
paper.
The Readtr is desired to bavare of cmutcr/cits.
We can now mark the advent of those monstrous flow-
ig wigs which were in fashion fot nearly a century, and may
►e fairly assumed to have made their appearance about
no HISTOR Y OF AD VER TISTNG,
the date of this advertisement, which was published in thi
iVhfYj of February 4, 1663 : —
AXrHEREAS George Grey\ a Barber and Pcrrywigge-maker, ov<
' * against the Greykoumi 'jai^erti, in Bhtck Fryers, Lotuioti, gtanda
obliged to scxyc sume particular Persons of eminent Condition and
Quality In hii way of Employment: It is therefore Notifyed at h
desire, that any one having long n.axeii hayr to sell may repayr to him
Ihe said George Grey, nnd ihcy iliall have los. the ounce, and for amy
other long fine hayr after the Kate of 5s. or 75. the ounce.
IS
%
dy
i
Pepys, in his quaint and humorous manner, describes
how Chapman, a periwig-dresser, cut off his hair to make
up one of these immense coverings for him, much to the
trouble of his scn-ants, Jane and Bessy. He also states that
" two pernwiggs, one whereof cost nie £,% and the other
40s.," have something to do with the depletion of his ready,
money on the 30th of October 1663. On November ant
he says, " I heard the Duke [Buckingham] say that he w;
going to wear a perriwigg; and Ihey say the King alj
will. I never till this day observed that the King is miglity
gray." And then on Lord's day, November 8th, he says,
with infinite quaintness, " To church, where I found that
my coming in a perriwigg did not prove so strange as I
was afraid it would, for I thought that all the church would
presently have cast their eyes all upon me." Pepys was, it
seems, possessed of that rather unpleasant consciousness
which prompts a man who wears anything new or strang^H
for the first time to believe that all the w*orld, even tha^^
portion of it which has never seen him before, knows he
feels anxious and uncomfortable because he has got new
clothes on. The price, ten shillings the ounce, shows
that there must have been an exceptionally heavy demand
for flaxen colour by the wearers of the new-fashioned^
wigs. Judging by the advertisements just quoted, as welj^f
as by those which follow, there can be no controverting the
statement that the reign of Charles II. "was characterised
by frivolous amusements and by a love of dcess and viciow
DEVELOPMENT OF ADVERTISING.
Ill
excitement, in the midst of which pestilence stalked like a
mocking fiend, and the great conflagration lit up the mas-
querade with its iurid and angry glare. Together with the
emasculate tone of manners, a disposition to personal
violence stained the latter part of this and the succeeding
reign. The audacious seizure of the crown jewels by
Blood; ibe attack upon the Duke of Ormond by the same
desperado, that nobleman having actually been dragged
from his coach in St James's Street in the evening, and
carried, bound upim the saddle-bow of Blood's horse, as far
as Hyde Park Comer, before he could be rescued; the slit-
ting of Sir John Coventry's nose in the Haymarket by the
King's guard ; and the murder of Sir Eilmondbury Godfrey
on Primrose Hill, are familiar instances of the prevalence of
this lawless spirit." There is still one other memorable and
dastardly assault to note, that on " Glorious John," and we
shall do so in due course.
The London Gazette now appears upon the scene, and
this is noticeable, because of all the papers started before,
or for a very considerable time after, this is the only one
which has still an existence. It has been stated by some
writers to have first appeared at Oxford during the time
the Court took up its abode there, while the Great Plague
was raging, but that this was not so is shown by the follow-
ing, which is extracted from the London Gitzette of January
22, 1664, nearly twelve months before the outbreak of
the Plague. The fact is that during the residence of
the King and Court at Oxford, the official organ changed
its title, and was called the Oxford Gazette, to resume its
original name as soon as it resumed its original publishing
office.*
I
• The Ztfw/tftt £«3rf//r was first published 22d August 1642. The
firtt number of tlic existing "publishcd-by-nulhority " scries was im-
printed first at Oxford, where the Court was stationed for fear of tfae
PUgiie, on Noveraber 7, 1665, and afterwards at London on February
ii:
HISTORY OF ADVERT/SmC,
A TRUE representalioa of the Rhonoserons and Elephimt, latel
brought from the East Indies to London, drawn aAer the lifiq
and cnriously engraven in Mczzotinto, printed upon a large shed
paper. Sold by Pierce Tempest, at the Eagle and Child in X\
Strand, over against Somerset House, Water Gale.
The ignorance of natural history at this time seems to
have been somewliat marvellous, and anything in the way of
a collection of curiosities was sure to attract a credulous
multitude, as is shown by another notice, published in the
Ni^vs of a date close to that of the foregoing. The articles
are rather scanty, to be sure, but probably the " huge thigh-
bone of a giant," whatever it was in reality, was in itself
sufficient to attract, to say nothing of the niumray and
torpedo. ^M
AT the Mitre, near the west end of St Faurs, is to be seen a rare
'^~*- Collection of Curiosilyes, much resorted to and admired by
persons of great learning and quality ; among which a choycc Ej;yplian
Mummy, with htcroglyphtcks ; the Ant-Bearc of Bnuil ; a Kemora ;
a Torpedo ; the Huge Thighbone of a Giant ; a Moon Fish ; a Tropic
Bird, &c.
Evidently something must have been known of mummies,
or how could the exhibitor tell that his was a choice one^H
Our next item introduces us to one of those old belieflH
which are still to be found in remote parts of the country.
The King, like any mountebank or charlatan, advertisei
the time when he will receive, for the purpose of giving th<
royal touch, supposed to be sufficient to cure the horribl
distemper. Surely he of all people must have known hoi
futile was the experiment j and it is passing strange that a"
people who had tried, condemned, and executed one kinj
like any common man, shoidd have put faith in such
announcement as that published in the Public Inteiiigmi
of May 1664, which runs as foUows : —
VyHITEHALL, May 14, 1C64. His Sacred Majesty, having dc
' • clared it to be Iiia Royal will and purpose to continue
healing of his people for llie Evil during the Mouth of May, and then
7-
I
DEVELOPMENT OF ADVERTISmC.
pTC over till Michaelmas next, I am commanded lo give nolicc thereof,
that the people nuy not come up tu Town in llie Interim aiiU lo&e their
labour.
Surely such men as Sedley Rochester, Buckingham, and
even Charles himself, must have laughed at the infatuation
of the multitude ; for if ever there was a king whose touch
was less likely than another's to cure the evil, that king was,
in our humble opinion, "his Sacred Majesty" Charles II.
But then people were prepared to go any lengths to make
up for their shortcomings in the previous reign. There
was possibly a political significance about these manifesta-
tions of royal ability and clemency, and some enthusi-
asts, who believe devoutly in the triumph of mind over
matter, think there is reason to believe in the efficacy of the
touch in scrofulous affections, and even believe that people
did really recover after undergoing the process. Dr Tyler
Smith, who has written on the subject, boldly states his belief
that the emotion felt by these poor stricken people who
came within the influence of the King's "Sacred Majesty"
acted upon them as a powerful tonic; though, as the King
always bestowed a gold piece upon the patient, we think
that if good was derived, it was derived from the comfort
procured by that — for those who suffered and believed were
generally in the lowest and poorest rank of life — and per-
haps travelling and change of air had something to do with
it as well. If the arguments of those who believe in the
emotional effect are to be admitted, it must be allowed by
parity of reasoning that where the touch failed^ its failure
would be likely to cause the sufferers to become rabid
republicans, the Divine right having refused to exhibit itself.
Maybe these latter symptoms, like the symptoms of other
diseases, did not develop in the individual, but came out
in course of generations, which may perhaps account for
the large amount of democracy which has exhibited itself
during the present century. There is certainly something
rather ludicrous in the fact that the practice of touching
114
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
^
for the evil ceased wiih the death of Anne; not because
the people had become more enlightened, but because the
sovereigns who followed her were supposed to have lost the
medicinal virtue through being kings merely by Act of Pa^H
liamcnt, and not by Divine right. ^|
The reaction which set in from the strait-laced rule of
the Puritans at the time of the Restoration, must have
reached its height about 1664, if we may judge by the
advertisements then constantly inserted, which reflect the
love of pleasure and folly exhibited by all classes, as if they
were anxious to make up for previous restrictions. In fact,
the chief inquiries are after lacowork, or valuables lost
at masquerade or water party, announcements of lotteries
at Whitehall, of jewels and tapestry, and other things to be
sold. The following is a fair specimen of the advertise-,
ments of the time, and appears in the News of August
1664: —
TOST on the 27tli July* about Boywcll Yard or Drury Lftne,
-'— ' Ladyc-s picture set in goH, and three Keys, with divers other
little things in a perfumed pocket. Whosoever sliaJI jjivc notice of
or brin^ tlie said picture to Mr Cliarles Coakine, Goldsmith, near
Staples Iiue, Holborn, shall have 4 times the value of Uie {^old for
payns.
I
"t
There are also about this time all sorts of quacV and nos-
trum advertisements,an "antimonialcup," by means of which
every kind of disease was to be cured, being apparently ved^J
popular. Sir Keiielm Digby, a learned knighl, who is sai^^
to have feasted his wi/e with capons fattened upon serpents
for the purpose of making her fair, advertises a book in whic
is shown a method of curing the severest wounds by
sympathetic powder. But even the knight's efforts pi
before the following, which will go far to show the supersl
tious leaven which still hung about the populace: —
O MALL BAGGS lo hang about Child ren\ necks which are excelh
•^ both fur the praientitm nnd cure of the Riekets, and to e<
Children in breeding of Teeth, ore prepared by Mr Edmund Buckwortl
DE VEL OPMENT OF AD VER TISINC 1 15
BPtl constantl/ to be had al Mr Philip Clark's, Keeper of the Library
lit the Fleet, and nowhere else, at 5 shillings a hagge.
We see in Uie papers of 1665 an increased number of
advertisements for lost and stolen animals, mostly those
tised in connection with sport ; but this does not go to
prove that more dogs, hawks, &c., were missing, so much
as that tlic advantages of advertising were being discovered
throughout the country ; and as London was the only place
in which at that time a newspaper was published, the cry
after stray favourites ahvays came up to town. Strange,
indeed, are many of the advertisements about sports long
since passed from amongst us, and the very phrases of which
have died out of the language. It seems hard to imagine
that hawks in all the glory of scarlet hoods were carried
upon fair bdies' wrists, or poised themselves when un-
covered to view their prey, so late as the time of Charles IL,
but that it was so, an advertisement already quoted, as well
as the following; shows. It is taken from the Jntdligettur
of November 6, 16G5 :—
IOST on the 30 Octolier, 1665, nn intcrmtitM Barbary Tercel
■* Gentle, engraven in Varvels, Richard Windwood, of Ditlon Park,
in Ihc county of Bucks, Kaq. I*"or more particular marks — if the Var-
vck be Uken off — (lie 4tb feather in one of the wings Imped, and the
third pounce of the right foot broke. If any one inform Sir William
Roberts, Knight and Baronet (near Karrow-on-thc-Hill, in the county of
AficlUIesex), or \fr William Philips, at the Kind's Head in Patcrnobter
Row, of the Hawk, he shall be sufficiently rewarded.
Inquiries for hawks and goshawks are by no means
scarce, and so we may imagine that these implements of
hunting were hardly so much to be depended upon as those
from llic workshop of art and not of nature, which are ia
use in the present day. Indeed, the falcon seemed to care
much less, when once set free, for his keeper, than writers of
books arc prone to imagine. The King was apparently
il6
mSTORY OF ADVERTISING.
no more fortunate than the rest of those who indulged
falconry, for in a copy of the London Gaseite^ late in 1667,,
the following is seen : —
A Sore gcr Falcon of His Majesty, lost the 13 of Aus^ist, who
hod one Varvcl of his Keeper, Roger Higs, of Westminster,
Gent. Whosoever bath taken her up and give notice Sir Allan Apaley,
Master of His Majesties Hawks at St James's, shall be rewarded fot]
hia paines. Back-Stairs in Whitehall.
Sir Allan Apsley was the brother-in-law of the celebrated
Colonel Hutchinson, and brother of the devoted wife whose
story everj'body has read. The next advertisement we shall
select is published in i\\Q London Gaze//^ o( May 10, 16G6, and
has reference to the precautions taken to prevent the spread
of the Plague. Long before this all public notices of aD
idle and frivolous nature have ceased, amusements seem to
have lost their charm, and it is evident from a study of the
advertisements alone, that some great disturbing cause is at
work among the good citizens. No longer docs the autho-
rised gambling under the roof of Whitehall go on ; no more
are books of Anacreontics published ; stopped are all the
assignations but a short time back so frequent ; and no
longer are inquiries made after lockets and perfumed bags,
dropped during amorous dalliance, or in other pursuit of
pleasure. Death, it is evident, is busy at work. The
quacks, and the WTiters of semi-blasphemous pamphlets,
have it all to themselves, and doubtless batten well in this
lime of trouble. The Plague is busy doing its deadly work,
and already the city has been deserted by all who can fly
thence, and only those who are detained by duty, sickness,
poverty, or the want of a clean bill of health, remain. These
bills or licences to depart were only granted by the Lord
Mayor, and the greatest influence often failed to obtain
Ihem, as after the Plague once showed strength it waa
deemed necessary to prevent by all and every means the
I
DEVEL0P5SENT OF ADVERTISING.
>7
spread of the contagion tliroughout the country. The
advertisement chosen gives a singular instance of the
manner in which those who had neglected to depart early
were penned within the walls ; —
ATuAoias Hurst, an UphoUtcrer, over against the Rose Tavern,
■* ^ in Russell-sLrcet, Covcnt-Gardcn, wliuse Maid Servant dyed
lately of Ihc Sickness, fled un Monday last out of his house, takingj
with him several Goods and Household Stuff, and was afterwards
followed by one Doctor Gary and Richard Baylc with hia wife and
familyi who lodged in the same house ; but Bayle having his usual
dwelling-houM in Waybridgc, in Surrey. Whereof we are commanded
to give this Public Notice, that diligent search may be made for them,
and the booses in which any of their persons or goods shall be found
may tjc •thut up by the next Justice of the Peace, or otlicr his Majesty's
Officers of Justice, and notice immediately given to some of his Majesty's
Privy CounciU, or to one of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of State.
A great demand seems at this time to have been made
for an electuary much advertised as a certain preventive of
the Plague, which was to be drunk at the Green Dragon,
Cheapside, at sixpence a pint. This is, however, only one
among hundreds of specifics which continued to be thrust
upon the public in the columns of the papers, until the real
deliverer of the plagne-stricken people appeared — a dreadful
deliverer, it is true, but the only one. The Great Fire, which
commenced on the and of September 1666, and destroyed
thirteen thousand houses, rendering myriads of peoide
homeless, penniless, and forlorn, had its good side, inas-
much as by it the Plague was utterly driven out of its
stronghold, but not until nearly a hundred thousand persons
had perished. Imagine two such calamities coming almost
togftther; but the purgation by fire was the only one which
could fairly be expected to prove effectual, as it destroyed
the loathsome charnel-houses which would long have held
the taint, and removed a great part of the cause which led
to the power of the fell epidemic. We have in the pre-
1 1 S lUSTOR y OF AD VERTISIKG.
ceding chapter referred lo the paucity of advertisementsj
which appeared in reference lo the new addresses of those
who had been burnt out, and a writer a few years back
makes the following remark upon the same subject:
"Singularly enougli, but faint traces of this overwhelming]
calamity, as it was considered at the lime, can be gathered'
from the current advertisements. Although the entire popu-
lation of the city was rendered houseless, and had to encamp
in the surrounding fields, where they extemporised shops
and streets, not one hint of such a circumstance can be
found in the public announcements of the period. No
circumstance could afford a greater proof of the little use
made by the trading community of this means of publicity
in the time of Charles II. If a fire only a hundredth part
so destructive were to occur in these days, the columns of
the press would immediately be full of the new addresses
of the burnt-out shopkeepers ; and those who were not even
damaged by it would take care to * improve llic occasion'
10 their own advantage. We look in vain through the pag'es
of the London GazetU of this and the following year for one
such announcement : not even the tavern-keeper tells U3
the number of his booth in Goodman's fields, although
quack medicine flourished away in its columns as usual"
We have already shown that one advertisement at least
was published in reference to removal caused by the fire,'
but as it did not appear till six or seven years after-
wards, it is a solitary exception to the rule, indeed. In
1667, notifications occurred now and then of some change
in the site of a Government office, caused by the disturb-
ances incident on the fire, or of the intention to rebuild bj
contract some public structure. Of these the following,^
which appears in the London Gazette^ is a good specimen
ALL Artificers of the several Trades that must be used in Rebuilding
■^** ihe Royal Excliange may take noiice, that ihe Committee
ippoiuted for mauagcmeut uf that Work do sit at the end of the k
DEVELOPMENT OF ADVERTISING, 119
pdlery in Gresham CoUedge every Monday in the forenoon, there and
then to treat with such as are fit to undertake the same.
As nothing occurs in the way of advertisements worthy
of remark or collection for the next few years, we will take
this convenient opportunity of obtaining a brief breathing
q)ace.
CHAPTER VII
CONCLUSION OF SEVENTnENTH CENTURY,
■
Er us comraence here with the year 1674, a perio(
when the rages and fashions, the plague and fire,
and the many things treated of by means of advertisemenis'
in the preceding chapter, had plunged England into a most
unhappy condition. The reaction from Puritanism was
great, but the reaction from royalty and extravagance,
threatened to be still greater. Speaking of the state
affairs about this lime, a famous historian, who has pai(
particular attention to the Litter part of the sevenieenti
century, says ; '* A few months after the termination
hostilities on the Continent, came a great crisis in EngUs
politics. Towards such a crisis things had been tending
during eighteen years. The whole stock of popularity^^
great as it was, with wliich the King had commenced hi^H
administration^ had long been expended. To loyal enthu-
siasm had succeeded profound disaffectioa The public
mind had now measured back again the space over whicl^H
it had passed between 1640 and 1660, and was once nior^^
in the state iu which it had been when the Long Parliament
met. The prevailing discontent was compounded of many
feelings. One of these was wounded national pride. That
generation had seen England, during a few years, allied o
equal terms with France, victorious over Holland am
Spain, the misiress of the sea, the terror of Rome, the hea
of the Protestant interest. Her resources had not dimin
ished; and it might have been expected that she would
It
i
CO\CLUSIOI\r OF SEVENTEENTir CENTURY, 121
have been, at least, as highly considered in Europe under
a legitimate king, strong in the affection and willing obe-
dience of his subjects, as she had been under an usurper
whose utmost vigilance and energy were required to keep
down a mutinous people. Vet she had, In consequence of
the imbecility and meanness of her rulers, sunk so low, that
any German or Italian principality which brought five thou-
sand men into the field, was a more important member of
the commonwealth of nations. With the sense of national
humiliation was mingled anxiety for civil liberty. Rumours,
indistinct indeed, but perhaps the more alarming by reason
of their indistinctness, imputed to the Court a deliberate
design against all the constitutional rights of EngUshmcn. It
bad even been whispered that this design was to be carried
into eflfect by the intervention of foreign arms. The thought
of such intervention made ihc ))lood, even of the Cavaliers,
boil in their veins. Some who had always professed the
doctrine of non-resistance in its full extent, were now heard
to mutter that there was one limitation to that doctrine. If
a foreign force were brought over to coerce the nation, they
would not answer for their own patience. But neither
national pride nor anxiety for public liberty had so great
an influence on the popular mind as hatred of the Roman
Catholic religion. That hatred had become one of the
ruling passions of the community, and was as strong in the
ignorant and profane as in those who were Protestants from
conviction. The cruelties of Mary^s reign — cruelties which
even in the most accurate and sober narrative excite just
detestation, and which were neither accurately nor soberly
related in the popular martyrologies — theconspkacies against
Elizabeth, and above all, the Gunpowder Plot, had left in
the minds of the vulgar a deep and bitter feeling, which was
kept up by annual commemorations, prayers, bonfires, and
processions. It should be added that those classes which
were peculiarly distinguished by attachment to the throne,
the clergy and tlie landed gentry, had peculiar reasons for
122 HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
regarding the Cliurch of Rome with aversion. The der|
trembled for their benefices, the landed gentry for thei
abbeys and great tithes. While the memory of the reign of
the Saints was still recent, hatred of Popery had in some
degree given place to hatred of Puritanism ; but during the
eighteen years which had elapsed since llie Restoration, the
hatred of Purltiinism had abated, and the hatred of Poperyv^
had increased. . . . The King was suspected by many of aqH
leaning, towards Rome, His brother and heir-presumplive
was known to be a bigoted Roman Catholic. The first
Duchess of York had died a Roman Catholic. James had
then, in defiance of the remonstrances of the House of^
Commons, taken to wife the Princess Mary of Modena^^B
another Roman Catholic. If there should be sons by this
marriage, there was reason to fear that they might be bred
Roman Catholics, and that a long succession of princes
hostile to the established faith might sit on thfe English
throne. The constitution had recently been violated for
the pun^ose of protecting the Roman Catholics from th<
penal laws. The ally by whom the policy of England ha(
during many years been chiefly governed, was not only a
Roman Catholic, but a persecutor of the Reformed Churchea^^
Under such circumstances, it is not strange that the cona^f
mon people should have been inclined to apprehend a return
of the times of her whom they called Bloody Mar)'." Such
was the unhappy state of affairs at this period, and thougl|^|
its effect is soon shown in the advertisement columns of the™
papers, one would think times were piping and peaceful
indeed to read the following, extracted from the London
Ga2€//e o( October 15-19, 1674: —
IJTIIITEIIALL., Ottoher 1 7.— A square Diamond with his Nlajest/i
'^^ Arms ui>on it having been this clay lost out of a seal in or about
Whitehall, or Si James's Park or House ; Any person tliai shall have
found the same is required to bring it to IPilUam Chiffituh^ Esq., Keeper
of his Majesty's Closet, and he shall have ten pouxids for a Kcward.
Doubtless this Chiffinch, the degraded being who liv<
CONCJMSION OF SEVENTEENTff CEirTURY. laj
but to pander to the debauched tastes of his royal and pro-
fligate employer^ thought nothing of politics or of the signs
of the times, and contented hiraself with the affairs of the
Backstairs, caring little for Titus "Gates, and less for his
victims. Some short time after the foregoing was published
(March 20-23, '^75)» Chiffinch published another loss ia
the GasetU, This is it : —
"C*LOWN out of St James's Park, on Thttrsday night last, a Goose
*• Olid a Gander, brought from the river Gamhw in the East
Indies, on the Head, Back and Wings ihey are of a shining black, under
Uie Throat about the Eyes and the Belly white. They have Spurs 01
the pinions of the Wings, about an inch in length, the Beaks and
of a muddy red ; they aresliapcdlikea Muscovy Mallard, but larger and
longer IcgEfd. Whoever given notice to Mr ChifTinch at Whitehall,
ihall be well rewarded.
W'liether the prince of pimps ever had to give the reward,
ive are not in a position to state ; we should, however,
think that his advertisement attracted little attention, for
we are now in the midst of the excitement which led to the
pretended plots and troubles that made every man suspect
his neighbour, and when the cry of Recusant or Papist was
almost fatal to him against whom it was directed. That
ihis feeling once roused was not to be subdued even in
death, is shown by a notice in the Domestic^ Intelligence of
July 23, 1679:—
TX/HEREAS it was mentioned in the last "Intelligence" that Mr
• ^ Lanfjhoni was buried in the Temple Church, there was a nii*-
tnke in it, for it was a Loyal Gentleman, one Colonel Acton, who was
at that time buried by his near relation!* there: And Mr Langhom was
boned that day in the Lhurcliyard of St Giles-in- the- Fields, very near
the five Jciiuits who were executed last
John Playford, Gierke to the Temple Church.
Here is intolerance with a vengeance, but in the year
1679 reverence for persons or things was conspicuously
absent, and this is best shown by the advertisement which
was issued for the purpose of discovering the ruffians, or
124
J/ISTOH Y OF AD VER VISING.
.
their patron, who committed the brutal assault upon Jol
Dryden. It appears in the London Gazette of Decemb*
22, 1679: —
AIT" HERE AS John Drydm, Esq., was on Monday, the iSthinstai
' * at niiilit, barlKiruusly ab!»aulte<l and wounded, in Ko&e Sli
in Covent Garden, by divers men unknown ; if any person shall m
discovery of l!ic saiti ufTcudcrs to the said Mr Dryden, or to any Juslioe'
of the Peace, he shall not only receive Fifty Pounds, which is deposited
in the hands of Mr Blanchard, Goldsmith, next door to Temple Bar,
for ilic said purpoiie, but if he be a principal or an accessor)* in the said
fact, his Majesty is graciously pleased to promise him his pardon fi
the same.
]
Notwithstanding the offer of this money, it was ncv<
discovered who were the perjjetrators, or who was the insti-
gator of this cudgelling. Some fancy its promoter was
Rochester, who was offended at some allusions to him in
an " Essay on Satire," written jointly by Dryden and Lord
Mulgrove ; while others declare that the vanity of the Duchess
of Portsmouth, one of the King's many mistresses, havii
been offended by ayW/ tVesprU of the poet's, she procure
him a rough specimen of her favours. Others, again, have
suspected Buckingham,. who was never on the best of terms
with Dryden, and who sat for the portrait dra^vn in Zimri
('* Absalom and Achitophel"); but profligate and heartless
libertine as Villiers was, he was above such a ruffianly
rejjrisal. In the Domesiick Intdli^ence of December z^H
1679, the assault is thu» described: "Upon the lyt^M
instant in the evening Mr Dryden the great poet, was set
upon in Rose Street in Covent Garden, by tliree persons,
who, calling him rogue, and son of a whore, knockt him
down and dangerously wounded him, but upon his crymg
out niunher, they made their escaj^e ; it is conceived th*
they had their pay beforehand, and designed not to K
him but to execute on him some Feminine, if not Popk
vengeance." In a subsequent number of the same paj
tere is the following advertisement : —
COA'Cl as/ox OF SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.
"5
IITHEFEAS thiTi has hetn printed of latt am AJvertisemmt about
''^ the Discovery of these nvho assaultctiyix Drydcn, ivUk a proniiie of
p^rdm and reward to tht Discav€rer ; For his /nrthcr eHceuragrmmt,
this is to gwf notuf^ that if the said Disc&vertr shall maiu knawn thi
Ptrsan who incite thimi to that unlawful action.^ not only the Discovfrer
himself, httt any of tJkaie wha committed the faet^ shall be freed from
all manner of prosecution*
As a seasonable illustration we present an exact fac-
simile of a newspaper containing reference to the attack.
It is complete as it appears, being simply a single leaf
printed back and front, and so the stories of men repeat-
ing a whole newspaper from menaor)' are not so won-
derful after all. This year (1679) is memorable among
journalists as being the first which saw a rising press
emancipatedi a fact which is sufficiently interesting to
be chronicled here, although our subject is not news-
papers, but only the advertisements contained in them.*
During all this time it must not be supposed that the
vendors of quack medicines were at all idle. No political
or religious disturbance was ever allowed to interfere with
them, and their notices appeared as regularly as, or if pos-
sible more regularly than, ever. In a paper we have not
before met, the Atcrcurius An^Ucus^ date March 6-10, 1679
-So, we are introduced for the first time to the cordial which
was destined to become so popular among nurses with
whom neither the natural milk nor that of human kindness
was plentiful, viz., Daffy's Elixir ; —
WIfERKAS divers Persons have lately exposed to sale a counter-
feit drink called F-I.IXIR Salutis, the true drink so called
being first published by Mr Anthony Daffy, who is the only pcrsoa
that rightly and tnily prepares it, he having experienced its virtues for
above 20 ycus past, by God's bles&ing curing multitiidcs of [)eopIe
• A nominal censorship was continuwl till 1695, but the freedom of
the prc-ss is con-.idered by many to date from the year named above,
and an inspection of the papers themselves would seem to justify the
opinion.
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
nfflictcd with various distempers thcrcwitli, the reccit whereof he never
communicateil lo any person livinj; j and thai these persons the better*
lo colour their deceit, have reported Mr Anthony UofTy to he dcarf,
these are to certify Tliat the said Mr Anthony DafTy is still living and
in good heahh, at his house in Pnijcan court in the old Eniley, and
that only there and at such places as he has appointed in his printed
Eiheets of hii> Elixir's virtues (which printed sheets are scaled with his
seal) the inic Ei-ixiR Salutis or choice Cordial Drink of Health
Is to b« sold. ^
It is noticeable that about this time people were never
sure what year they were in until March, antl often during
that month; and this is not only so in the dates on
ne^vspapers, but is found in Tepys and other writers of the
period. Some journals do not give the double date as
above, for we have before us as wc write two copies of the
Domestuk Jnteiiigencc ^ or^ Ncics both from City and CoutUry^
" Published to prevent false Reports," No. 49 being dat
"Tuesday, Dccemb. 23, 1679;" and No. 52, ** Frida
January 2, 1679." This has not, as many people have i
agrned, anything lo do with the difference between the
New Calendar and the Old, as our alteration of style did
not take place till ihc middle of the next century. It must
have been a rcHc of the old Ecclesiastical year which s
affects the financial budget.
That the "agony column'' of the present day isthcresut
of slow and laborious growth is shown by an advertisement,
cut from a Domestic lutelUgenu oi March 168 1, whicli con-
tains an urgent appeal to one who has in umbrage depart
from home : —
I
he
lid
ast
ut^
1
WHEREAS a Person in London on some discontent did ear!
on Monday morning last retire from his dwelling-house a:
not yet rcluni'd, it is the earnest request of several of his particular
friends, titat the Faid person would speedily repair to some or one of
them, that he thinks must fit \ it being of absolute necessity, for reaBons
he docs not yet know off.
An advertisement of this kind, without name or initi
might now, like the celebrated appeal to John Smithy ap
m^tk
COyCLCSIOiV OF SEfEXTEEXTU CENTURY, try
itself to the minds of so many who had left their families
" on some discontent," that there would be quite a stam-
pede for home among the married men making a temporary
sojourn away from llie domestic hearth and its attendant
difficulties. Many of them would perhaps find themselves
as unwelcome as unexpected.
Our next selection will be interesting to those who are
cir. :':s on the subject of insurance, which must have been
ti'.ci icdiy in its infancy on July 6, 1685, the day on which
iJie following appeared in the London Gazette : —
'T^HERE having happened a Fire on the 24th of the lost month hy
■'■ which several houses oi the friendly society were humeri to the
v:))Qe of 965 poun'ls, these are to give nut ice to all jMrrsoiis of the said
Bociety that they are desired lo pay at the office Faulcon Court in
Fleet Street their several proportions of their said loss, which comes lo
five ahiUing* and one penny for every hundred pounds insured, before
the 12th of Auguit next.
Advertisements are so far anything but plentiful, there
being rarely more than two or three at most beyond the
booksellers' and quack notices ; and although nowadays the
columns of a newspaper are supposed to be unequalled for
affording opportunities for letting houses and apartments,
the hereunder notice was, at the time of its publication in
^^ London Gazette^ August 17, 1685, perfectly unique : —
'yJIK EARL of KERKELEY'S HOUSE, with Garden and
^THW
Stables in St John's Lone, not far from Smith Field, is to be Let
Sold for Building. Enquire of Mr Prcitwonh, a corn chandler,,
the said houM;, and you mny knoiv farther.
Any one who passes through St John's Lane now, with
its squalid tenements, dirty shops, and half-star%'cd popula-
tion, will have to be possessed of a powerful imagination
indeed to picture an carl's residence as ever standing in
the dingy thoroughfare, notwithstanding the neighbourhood
has the advantage of a beautiful bran-new meat-market,
in place of the old cattle-pens which formerly stood on the
opeo space in front of Bariholoraew's Hospital, Yet as
y
T28 niSTORV OF ADVERTISING.
proof of the aristocratic raeetings which used to
St John's Lane, the Hospitallers' Gate still crosses il
gate which even after the days of chivalry had de|
had still a history to make, not of bloodshed and vi
certainly, but of a connection with the highest and
description of literature.
We now come to the year 1688, when advertisin
more common than before, and when Charles having ]
away, James held temporary possession of the throne,
published in the Gazette of March 8, is suggestive 1
religious tumult which would shortly end in his downl
CATHOLIC LOYALTY, CP upon Ihe Subject of Cove
and Obedience, (Iclivert'd in a SERMON before the
and Queen, in His Majesties Chapel at Whitehall, on the 13 (
1687, by the Revnd. Father Edward Scaraisbroke, i)riesl of the
of Jesus. Published by His Majesty's Command. Sold by
Trylo*^ Dear Stationers HoU, London.
just about this period dreadful outrages were of
mon occurrence j men were knocked down in the st
open daylight, robbed, and murdered, and not a few 1
were the outcome of private and party hatred. Miu
law was set at defiance, ajid any small body of despc
could do as they liked unchecked, unless they hap
to be providentially opposed by equal or superior
when they generally turned tail, for their practice was
fight so much as to beat and plunder the defen
Here is a notice which speaks volumes for the st
affairs. It is published in the London Gazette^ and
date March 29, 1688 : — ^^
'\17"HEREAS a Gentleman was, on the eighteenth at fl^Rn
• "^ wounded near Lincoln's Inn, in Chancery I^ane, tn vifl
supposed of the coachman that Mit him down : thcic arc
notice that the wid coachman thai] come in and declare his km
of the matter ; if any other person shall discover the said coacl
John Hawlcs, at his chamber in Lincoln's Inn, he shall have
I e ward.
CONCLUSION OS SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, J29
About this time some show is made on behalf of those
Credulous folk who believe that all highwayraen in the good
old times were brave, dashing, highly educated, and ex-
tretncly handsome ; for we find several inquiries after rob-
bers who, before troubles came upon them, held superior
positions in society. Here is one of the year 1688 : —
1X7HEREAS Mr HfrhfTi J<ma^ Attomcy-at-Law in ihe Town of
^' Monmoulb, well known by being several years togclhcr Under-
Shenffof the same County, hath of late divers times robbed the Mail
coming from that town to London, and taken out divcR letters and writs,
Knd IS now Dcd from justice, and supposed to have sheltered himself in
tome of the new-raised troops. These arc to give notice that whuio*
ever fehalt secure the said Herbert Jones, so as to be committed in
ofiler to answer these iaid crimes, may give notice thereof to Sir
Thomas Fowles, goldsmith. Temple-bar, London, or to \fr Michael
Bohanc, mercer, in Monmouth, ond ailiall have a guinea's reward.
Mr Jones, culpable as he undoubtedly was, seems to have
possessed a sense of honour, and probably he served his
friends as well as himself by taking the writs from the mail.
The reward offered for his apprehension is so paltry in pro-
portion to the outcry raised, that a disinterested reader, r^.,
one who has never felt the smart of highway robbery, cannot
help hoping that he got clear off, or that at all events he
cheated the gallows by earning a soldier's death " in some
of the new-raised troops." Although Mr Jones was a gen-
tleman thief, and had gentlemanly associates, he and his
friends are the exceptions to the rule ; for robbers generally
are described as a very sad as well as a very ugly lot of
reprobates. Also in the same eventful year of delivery we
find the following, which appears in the London Gazeite^ the
subject of it having evidently thought to avail himself of
the disturbances of the time, but whether successfully or
the reverse, does not appear : —
RUN away from his master, Captain St Lo, the aist instant,
■ Obdelah Ealias Abraham, a Moor, swarthy complexion, short
tuttr, a gold ring in bU car, in a black coat and blew breeches.
1
t^o
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
He look with him a blew Turkish watch-gown, a Turkish suit
clothing; ihat he used to wear abont tou-n, and uvcntl other thii
Whoever brjnipt bim \o Mr Lozel's house in Green Street shall
oue guinea for his charges.
Tliis advertisement is suggestive of the taste in blacl
moors, which began to manifest itself about this lime,
which had a long run — the coloured creature who was
later limes a negro, but in these a Moor, being often
garded v^s a mere soulless toy, a companion of the pug-dc
or an ornament to be classified with the vases and oth<
china monstrosities which were just tlien the vogue. TI
next advertisement we have is of a very different cliaracter,
and has a distinct bearing upon the political question of the
times ; it also seems to show that the value of advertising
was beginning to be still more understood, and that wil
the advent of a new sovereign the attention of the commt
cial classes was once more directed so much to business
that even party feeling was to be made a source of profit.
The extract is from the New Observator of July 17, 1689: —
/^ RANGE CARDS, representing the late King's reign and expe-
^^ ditiun of the Prince of Orange ; vii. The Earl of Essex Murthcr,
Dr Otcs Whipping:, Defacing the Monument, My LorJ Jefcries in the
West banging of Protesiants, Magdalen College, Trial of the Bishops,
Castle Maine at Rome, The Popish Midwife, A Jesuit Preaching agninst
our Bible, Consecrated Smock, My Lord Chancellor at the Bed'i fc
Birth of the Prince of Wales, The Ordinare Maashouse pulling do
nud burning by Captain Tom and his Mobile, Mortar pieces in
Tower, The Prince of Orange I,.anding, The Jesuits Scampering, Father
Peter's Transactions, The fight at Reading, The Army going over to the
Prince of Orange, Tyrconncl in Ireland, My LortI Chancellor in the
Tower. With ninny other remarkable jwivsngcs of the Times. Tl
which is ad<lcd the efigies of our Gracious K. William & Q. M
curiously illustrated and engraven in hvcly figures, done by the
formcni of ibe first Popish Plot Cards. Sold by Donnan Newman,
the publisher and printer of the New Observator. ■
'4
her
the
the
This ivas a popular and ratlier practical method of celcbra
ing the triumph of the Whigs, and as Bishop Burnet was the
J
CONCLUSION OF SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, 131
editor of the Nao Ohsen-alor, and these cards were sold by
his publisher, he is very likely to have had a hand in their
promotion. About now the traffic in African slaves com-
menced, and these full-blooded blacks gradually displaced
the Moors and Arabs, who had formerly been the prevalent
coloured "fancy." It is supposed that the taste for these
daik-skinned sen'ants was derived from the Venetians,
whose intercourse with the traders of India and Africa
naturally led to their introduction. Moors are constantly
being associated with the sea-girt Republic, both in litera-
tune and art, Shakespeare's " Moor of Venice " being some-
what of an instance in point ; while Titian and other
painters of his school were extremely fond of portraying
coloured men of all descriptions. By 1693, however, the
negro had not altogether pushed out the Moor, if we may
judge by an advenisemeni dated January 9-12, 1692-93,
and appearing in the London GazeiU: —
'ynOMAS GOOSF.BERRY, a blackamoor, aged about 24 years,
■^ a thin slender man, middle stature, wears a periwig : Whoever
lmng<t him tn Mr John Martin at Guildhall CofTcchouiiC, shall have
l-H-O guineas Reward.
Another advertisement, which appears in the same paper
a couple of years later, shows that the owners of these chat-
tels considered their rights of property complete, as they
put collars round their necks with names and addresses, just
the same as they would have placed on a dog, or similar to
that worn by *' Gurth the thrall of Cedric." This indiWdual
seems to have been different from any of the others we
iiave met, as he is evidently a dusky Asiatic who has been
purchased from his parents by some adventurous trader,
and whose thraldom sits heavily upon him. This is his
description : —
AliLACK boy, an In.lian, about thirteen years old, run away the
8ih instant from Putney, with a collar about his neck with this
inscription: 'The Lady Bromfield's black in Lincoln's Inn Field*.*
132
mSTORY OF ADVEKTJSING,
I
Wlioever Ijiiiigs him to Sir Edward Bromfield's at Putney shall bai
guinea reward.
It seems hardly possible that a poor little wretch like t
would have run away — for whiiher could he run with ai
hope of securing his freedom? — unless he had been
kindly treated. There is little doubt — though we are, ihrou
the medium of the pictures of this and a later time, in the
habit of regarding the dark-faced, while-turbaned, and white-
toothed slaves as personifications of that happiness which V^k
denied to higher intellects and fairer fortunes — that ofter^
they were the victims of intense cruelty, and now and then
of that worst of all despotisms, the tyranny of an
natured and peevish woman.
We now come upon an advertisement, which sho
something of the desire that was always felt by residents
the country for the least scintillations of news j and ti
concoctor of the notice seems fully aware of this desire
M'ell as possessed of a plan by means of which he mai
make it a source of profit to himself. It occurs in a co;
of the Hying Post of the year 1694 ; —
IF any Gentleman hai a mind to ohligc his country friend or corrc^
spondcnl, with an account of Public af^irs he may have it for
pence of J, Saliislniry at the Rising SUn in Comhill, on a sheet of
pnpT, half of which being b<ank, he may thereon write hU 01
pn\ ale business or the material uewa of the day.
By this means the newspaper and the private letter wei
combined, and it is easy to understand t!ie deliglit wil
which a gossiping and scandalising effusion, p)ossessed
the additional advantage of being written on this kind of
paper, was received at a lonely country house, by people
pining after the gaieties of metropolitan life. The news-
letter proper was a very ancient article of intercommunica-
tion, and it seems strange that it should have flourished
long after the introduction of newspapers, which it certainly
did. This may be accounted for by the fact, that during
the time of the Rebellion it was much safer to write than to
i
C0XCL(/S70Ar OF SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. IJ3
print any news which was intended to be read at a dis-
tance, or which had any political significance. It has been
remarked that many of these newsletters *'wcre written by
strong partisans, and contained information which it was
neither desirable nor safe that their opponents sliould sec.
They were passed on from hand to hand in secret, and
often indorsed by each successive reader. We are told
that the Cavaliers, when taken prisoners, have been known
to eat their newsletters ; and some of Prince Rupert's, which
had been intercepted, are still in existence, and bear dark
red stains which testify to the desperate manner in which
they were defended. It is pretty certain, however, that as
a profession newsletter wTiting began to decline after the
Revolution, though we find the editor of the Ev€nmg Post,
as late as the year 1709, reminding its readers that ' there
must be three or four pounds a year paid for written
news.' At the same time, the public journals, it is clear,
had not performed that part of their office which was
really more acceptable to the country reader than any
oiher — the retailing the political and social chit-chat of
the day. Wc have only to look into the public papers
to convince ourselves how woefully they fell short in a
department wiiich must have been the staple of the news-
writer." It would seem, therefore, that this effort of Mr
Salusbury was io combine the old letter with the modern
paper, and thus at once oblige his customers and save a
time-honoured institution from passing away. It would
seem as if he succeeded, for there are in the British
Museum many specimens of papers, half print half manu-
script ; and as most of the written portions are of an
extremely treasonable nature, possibly the opportunity to
send the kind of news which suited them best, and thus
combine friendship anvi duty, was eagerly seized by the
Jacobites. But how singular after all it seems for an editor
to invite his subscribers to write their own news upon their
o«-n newspapers 1
134 HISTORY OF ADVERTISIKG.
We are now getting very near the end of the seventeenth
century, and among the curious and quaint advertisements
which attract attention, as wc pore over the old chronicles,
which mark the close of the eventful cycle which has sec
so much of revolution and disaster, and of the worst fon
of religious and political fanaticisms carried to their m<
dreadful extremes, is the following. It appears in Salm
hury^s F/ying Post of October 27, 1696, and gives a go<
idea of manners and customs, which do not 80 Gir apj
to have altered for the better : —
"\i7nEREAS six gentlemen (all of the same honouraMc profession]
* * having been more than ordinary ]7ul lo it for a little pocket
money, did, on the 14th instant, in the evening near Kentish tow
borrow of two persons {in a coach) n certain sum of inuncy, with
slaying to give bond for the repayment : And whereas fancy wa»
taken to the hnt, peruke, crarate, aword and cane, of one of the credi
tors, which were all lent as freely as the money: these are, therefor
to desire the said six worthies, how fond soever ihey may be of
other loans, to unfancy the cane again, and send it to Will's Cofft
house, in Scotland yard ; it being -too short for any such proper gen-
tlemen as ihcy are, to walk with, and too small for any of their
important ilscs and withol^nly valuable as having been tlie gift of a
friend.
And just about this time we come upon some more
applications from our old friend Houghton, who seems
be doing a tliriving business, and is as full of wants as eve
he could almost desire. In a number of his CoiUethn
the Tmproiicmatt of Husbandry and Trade he expresses a
wisli as follows : —
ore I
I want an gngliiihman that can lolcrably wcU speak F
(if Dutch too so much the belter), and that will be content to
home keeping accounts almost his whole time, and give good lecurii
for his fidelity, and he shall have a pretty good salaiy.
And again, his wishes being evidently for the perfection
of se^^'ants, even lo — which is rather an anomaly in domcs^
lie servitude — getting security. Many servants must
CONCLUSION OF SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, 135
those days have wished to get security for the honesty of
their masters ; —
^—^ I want to wait on a gentleman in the City a young man that
writes a pretty good hand, uid knows how to go to market, must wait
on company that comes to the house and wear a livcryi has liad tlie
amaU-po3t, and can give some small security for his honesty.
Houghton was noticeable for expressing a decided opin-
ion with regard to the quality of whatever he recommends,
and, as we have shown, was not at all modest in his own
desires. Even he, however, could rarely have designed
such a bargain as this :—
— One that is fit to keep a warehouse, be a steward or do any-
thing that can be supposed an intelligent man that has been a shop-
keeper is fit for, and can give any security that can be desired as far as
ten thousand pounds goes, and has some estate of his own, desires an
employment of one hundred pounds a year or upwards. I cun give
an account of him.
This is the last we shall see of old Houghton, who did
much good in his time, not only for other people but for
himself as well, and who may be fairly regarded as, if not
the father, certainly one of the chief promoters of early
advertising.
The next public notice we find upon our list is one which
directs itself to all who may wish to be cured of madness,
though why people who are really and comfortably mad
should wish to have the trouble of being sane, we do not
profess to understand. However, it is not likely that this
gentleman helped them, for he overdoes it, and ofi'ers rather
too much. The notice appears in the Post Boy of January
6-9, 1699:—
T N Clerkenwcll Close, where the figure of Mad People arc over ilie
■^ gale, Liveth one who by the Blessing of God, curcth all Lunitck
distracted or Mad People, he seldom exceeds 3 months in the cure
of the maddest Person that comes in his house, several hai^ lx;cn
cured in a fortnight and some in less time ; he has cured several from
136
HISTORY OF ADVERTISIKG.
Bedlam and other mad-houses in and about this City and has
veniency for people of what quality soever. No cure no money.
likewixe careth the dropsy infallibly and has taken away from lo, 12,
15, 20 gallons of water with a gentle preparation. He curclh theiaj
that are 100 miles off as well ob them that are in town, and if any ore]
desirous they may have a note at his house of several that he halli'^
cured.
Notwithstanding the writer's proficiency in the cure of]
lunatics, he seems to have been sorely exercised with regard
to the spelling of the word, and he is ingenious enough in
other respects. The remark about no cure no pay, it is
noticeable, refers only lo the cases of lunacy, and not to
those of dropsy, for the evident reason that it is quite pos-
sible to make a madman believe he is sane, wliile it would
be rather hard to lead a dropsical person into the impres-
sion that he is healthy. Quacks swarm about this period,
but as we shall devote special attention to them anon,
we will now step into the year 1700, beginning with the
Flying Post for January 6-9, which contains this, a notice
of a regular physician of the time : —
/VT the Angel and Crown in Ba&lug-Iane near Bow*lanc liveth J.
''*■ Pcchey, a Graduate in the University of Oxford, and of many
years standing in the College of Phyisicianii in London : where all sick
people that come to him, may have for Six pence a faithful account of
their diseases, and plain directions for diet and other things they can
prepare themselves. And such as have occasion for Medicines may
have them of him at any reasonable rales, without paying anything for
advice. And he will visit any sick person in London or the Liberties
thereof fn the day time for two shillings and Six pence, and anywhere
else within the Bills of Mortality for Five shillingB. And if he be
called in by any person as he pa<tses by in any of these places, he wUl
require but one shilUng for his advice.
This is cheap enough, in all conscience, and yet there is
little doubt that the afflicted infinitely preferred the nos-
trums so speciously advertised by empirics to treatment
according to the pharmacopoeia. "We have good authority
for the statement that faith will move mountains, and it
i
COXCLl/S/OAr OF SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, 137
seems, if we are to judge by the testimonials puLlished from
lime immemorial by vendors of ointment and pills, 10 have
moved mountainous tumoure, wens, and carbuncles, for
without it soft soap, bread, and bacon fat would be of little
use indeed. Glorious John Dryden died early in this year,
and a hoaxing advertisement appeared in the Post Boy of
May 4-7, which called for elegies, &c. : —
•yHE Death of the famous John Dryden Esq. Poet Lanrcat to their
* two Ule Majesties, King Charles unci King James the Second;
being a Subject cnpable of employing the best pens, aiid several
personi of quality and others, having put a &top to his interment,
which is to be in Chaucer's grave, in Westminster Abbey : This is to
desire the gentlemen of the two famous universities, and others who
have a respect for the memory of the deceos'd, and are inclinable to
such performances, to send what copies they please as Epigrams, etc
to Henry Playford at his shop at ilie Temple-Change in Fleet street,
acid they sliall be inserted in a Collection which is dcsign'd after the
GUQC nature and in tlie same method (in what language they shall
please) as is usual in the composures which are printed on solemn
occasions at the two Universities aforesaid.
Other advertisements followed this, and from them it
appears that the shop of Henry Playford was inundated
with manuscripts of all lengths and kinds, and in many
languages. What became of them does not make itself
known, which is a pity, as many must have been equal to
any specimen which occurs in the " Rejected Addresses,"
with the advantage and recommendation of being genuine.
It is strange that so far we have met with no theatrical
or musical advertisement or public notice of any forth-
coming amusement, for it appeared most probable that
as soon as ever advertising became at all popular it would
have been devoted to the interest of all pursuits of plea-
sure. In 1700, however, we come upon what must be
considered the really first advertisement issued from a
playhouse, and, as a curiosity, reproduce i t from the
columns of the Fiying Post of July 4: —
columns 01 cne r tying rosi 01
L
138 mSTOR Y OF ADVERTISING,
yv;S«*. AT the request and for ihc Entertainment of several persons 1
quality at the N€xu Theatre in Lincolm-InnFuids, to morroi
being Friday the 5th of this instant, fnly, will be acted
Comical History of Dott Quixote^*' both parts made inlo one by
author. With a new entry by the little boy, being his last time
dancing before he goes to France: Also Mrs. Elfords new entry,
performed but once and Miss Evans's jigg and Irish dance ;
itevt^ral new comical dances, composed and performed by Monstt
/.'Sac and others. Together with a new Pastoral Dialogue, by Mr
Gor^e and Mrs J/ayptes, and variety of other singing. It being lor the
benefit of a genilemon in great distress, and for the relief of his wife
and 3 children.
This lead was soon followed by more important houses,
and in a very few years we have iists regularly published of
the amusements at all theatres. Theatrical managers have
in all times been blessed with a strong faculty of imitation,
and though it seems immensely developed just now, the
lessees of a hundred and seventy years ago were just
keen to follow the scent of anything which had prov
fortunate on the venture of any one possessed of pluc;
or originality.
We have reserved for the end of this chapter two adver-
tisements of an individual who, according to his own show-
ing, would have been invaluable to some of the members
of the various school boards of the present, and have
enabled them to keep pace with the pupils under their
supervision, a consummation devoutly to be wished. How-
ever, if we cannot have Mr Switterda, some other f^rus ex
fnachirtfi may yet arise. The first is from the Postman of
July 6-9, and runs thus \—
ALL Gentlemen and Ladies who are desirous in a very short lime
l\, to learn to speak Latin, Frmeh or Ilit^h Dutch fluently, and
that truly and properly without pedantry, according lo tlmmmar njlL-s,
ond can but spare two hours a week, may faiihrully be taught by Mr.
Switterda or his assistant at his lodgings in P.iuton S/reei, at the liunch
of Grai)es, near Leicester Fi^Us, where you may have Latin and Trcncli
historical cards. Children may come every day, or as often as parent*
please at bii hotise in AruthM S/ntf, next to the Temple Passage,
COXC/MSfON OF SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, 139
cliufly those of discrclion, who may be his or her assistant, enlring at
the same time. And if any Gent, will lake two children or hnlf a
doicn of equal ajjc, whose capAcily are not cli:> proportionable, and let
a«y Gent. Lake his choice, and leave to the abovenameU S. the oilier,
aad he is content to lo^ bis reward, if he or his n&stsiant makes not a
greater and more visible improvement of the Latin tongue in the first
three months liaoe, than any Gent, whatsoever. Et quamquam nobili
Gcnnano est dedecori lin^as profitcri, toinen non abscondi talcnta
mel que Deus mihi largims est, scd ea per multos annos publicavi, ct
omnes tam divites quam paupores ad domum meam jiivttavi, scd surdos
temper aures 'pulsavi, multos mihi invidos conciliavi, quos confiJcntia
et ledulitate jam superavi. Omnes artes mechanicie qnolidic exco-
luotur, artes vero liberales sunt velutt statiia idolatrica qu£c addorantur
Qon promovcnlur. He intends to dispose of two cop[>er plates con-
taining the ground of the Latin tongue, and the highest bidder shall
have them. Every one is to pay acconiing to his quality froni one
guinea lo 4 guineas ^r month, but he will readier agree by the great.
It is evident that Mr Swlttcrda was of an accommodat-
ing disposition, and doubtless did well not only out of those
who agreed by the great — a species of scholastic slang we
are unable to understand positively, however much we may
surmise — but out of those who were content, or were per-
force compelled to put up, with the small. Here is anotlier
"high-falutin"* notice which appears in the same paper
about a month later, and which shows that the advertiser is
also possessed of a power of puffing his own goods which
must have aroused the envy and admiration of other quacks,
in an age when they were not only numerous but singu-
larly fertile in expedient : —
WHEREAS in this degenerate ag^ Yonth are kept bo many years
in following only the Latin tongue and many of them are quite
discouraged Mr. Swittnda offers a very ea*y, short, and dcliglilful
method, which is full, plain^ most expeditious and effectual, without
pedantry, retoWing all into a laudable and most beneficial practice by
which Gent, and Ladies, who can but spare lo be but twice in a week
with him, may in two year* lime leani Latin^ i'remh and High Duich,
uuC only to speak them truly and propcily, but also lo understand a
riwiiciil luiUior. Aniiaihencs, aii eminent Teacher being a»k'd why
140
HISTORY OF ADVBRTISrSG,
he bad so few icliolars? answer'd Qttoniam non compello^ sed Jr/
ilhs itirga argintia. Mr. Switlerda who loves qualttatrm nan qttai
taUm may say ihc same of a great many, except those who arc scholi
ihciflsclvcs, and love to give their children extraordinary learnii
who have paid not only what he dcsircfl, but one, two, or thi
j^incas above their quartericl,<;c, and some more than he asked. Lie:
not willing to be troubled with stublwm boys, or those of S or 9
of age, unless they come along with one of more maturity, that shi
be able to instruct them at home, and such as may be serviceable
the public in l^ivinity. Law and Physick, or teaching school. Th(
is;^20 offered for the two copperplates, and he that bids most si
have them. He teacheth Mondays, Wednesday!), and KriJayi at
house in Arundel Street, next door above the Temple Passage, and tt
other three days in Paiiton Street, at the Bunch of Grapes nt
Leicester Fields, where you may have Latin and French Hibtori<
Cardit, and a pack to learn Copia Verborum^ which is a great want
many gentlemen. Every one is to pay according to his quality, frt
one Guinea to 4 Guineas per month. But poor Gent and Ladies
will consider, chiefly when they agree by the great, or come to boi
with hi 01.
How different from the puffing and pretentious announ<
ments just given is the one of the same time which foUoi
as we read which we can hear the hum of the little counti
schoolroom, and see the master with Jiis wig all awry, de(
in snuff and study, the mistress keenly alive to the dispo!
lion of her girls, and the pupils of both sexes, as pupils at
often even nowadays, intent upon anything but their lessons
or work. London is forty miles away, and the coach is an
object of wonder and admiration to the villagers, who look
upon the pupils who have come from the great city wi!
awe and reverence, while the master is supposed to diffi
learning from every pore in his body, and to scatter knoi
ledge with every wave of his hand. The mistress is ali
an object of veneration, but her accomplishments are moi
within the ken of rustic folk, and she, good simple dara<
who imagines her husband to be the most learned man
all the King, God bless him's, dominions, delights to tal
about the clergj-mcn they have educated, and has been th(
incipal cause of his inditing and publishing this notice >
CONCLUSION OF SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, 141
ApOVT forty miles fn»a I^ondon is a scHoolmaAter has had such
*^ sncceas with boys as there are almost forty ministers and school-
maiteni that were his sdiolara. His wife also tMches girls lacemaking,
plain work, raising pastes nuccSi and cookery to a degree of exactness.
His price is/io ory^ll the year, with a pair of shccU and one spoon,
to be retnzned if desired ; coaches and other conveniencies pass every
day within half a mite of the house, and 'tis but an easy journey to or
bom London.
And with these proofs that the schoolmaster was very
mach abroad at the titne, we will take leave of the seven-
teenth centuxy.
CHAPTER VIII.
EARLY PART OF EtGHTEENTH CESTURY.
IT is now apparent that advertising has become
nised as a means of communicalion not only fo
convcniencies of trade, but for political, lovemaking, ft
tiine-himling, swindling, and the thousand and one ot!
purposes which are always ready to assert themselves
a large commLmiCy. It is also evident that as years ha'
progressed, advertising has become more and more nee
sary to certain trades, the principals in which a comp;
lively short time before would have scorned the idea of
ventilating their wares through the columns of the publi
press. So it is therefore as well to notice the rates whi
were charged by some of the papers. This was before th)
duty was placed upon advertisements, when the arrange-
ment was simply between one who wished a notice inserted
in a paper, and another who possessed the power of making
such insertion. It is of course impossible to tell what the
rates were on all papers, but as some had notices of pric^M
per advertisement stated at foot, a fair estimate may b^|
made. The first adverlisemeats were so few that no notice
was called for, and it was not until every newspaper looked
forward to the possession of more or less that the plan <^|
stating charges became common. About the period ^^
which we are now writing, long advertisements were un-
known ; they generally averaged about eight lines of narrow
measure, and were paid for at about a shilling each, with
fluctuations similar in degree to those of the leading pap<
EARL Y PART OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 14J
of the present day. Various rules obtained upon various
papers. One journal, the ^^ Jockey's Intelligencer, or Weekly
Advertisements for Horses and Second-Hand Coaches to
be Bought and Sold," which appeared towards the end of
the seventeenth century, charged "a shilling for a horse or
coach for notification, and sixpence for renewing." Still
later, the County Genileman^s Courant seems to have been
the first paper to charge by the line, and in one of its
numbers appears the following rather non-sequitous state-
ment : " Seeing promotion of trade is a matter which ought
to be encouraged, the price of advertisements is advanced
to twopence per line." Very likely many agreed with the
writer, who seems to have had a follower several years after-
wards— a corn dealer, who during a great dearth stuck up
the following notification : *' On account of the great dis-
tress in this town, the price of flour will be raised one
shilling per peck." But neither of these men meant what
he said, though doubtless he thought he did.
The first advertisement with which we open the century
is of a semi-religious character, and betrays a very inquiring
disposition on the part of the writer. Facts of the kind
required are, however, too stubborn to meet with publica-
tion at the request of everybody, and if Mr Keith and other
controversialists had been trammelled by them, there is
every probability that the inquiry we now republish would
never have seen the light : —
WHEREAS the World has been told in public papers and
otherwise of numerous conversions of quakcrs to the
Choich of England, by means of Mr Keith and others, and whereas the
quakers give out in their late books and otherwise, that since Mr
Keith came out of America, there are not ten persons owned by them
that have left their Society, Mr Keith and others will very much
oblige the world in publishing a true list of their proselytes. •
The foregoing is from the Postman of March 1701, and
in July the same paper contains a very different notice,
which will give an idea of the amusements then in vogue,
144
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
and rescue from oblivion men whose names, great as th^
are in the advertisement, seem to liave been passed 01
unduly by writers on ancient sports and pastimes, who 5<
to regard Figg and Broughton as the fathers of the
sword and the boxing match : —
ATryai of Skill to be jwrfonned at His Majesty's Bear Gardeoj
Hockley-in-thc-IIole, on Thursday next, being the gth insl
betwixt these following masters ; — Edmund Button, master of
noble science of defence, who hath lately cut down Mr Hasgit and
Champion of the West, and ^ bendesj and James Harris, an Herefoi
shire man, master of the noble science of defence, who has foogfcT
98 prircs and never ^\-as worsted, to exercise the usual weapons, at 3
o'clock in the afternoon precisely.
Exhibitions of swordsmanship and cudgel-play were very
frequent in the early pan of the eighteenth centur)*, but
ultimately pugilism, which at first was merely an auxiliary
of the other sports, took tlie lead, most probably through
the invention of mufflers or gloves, first brought into notice
by Broughton, who was the most skilful boxer of his time
This wasj however, many years subsequent to the date of
the foregoing.
The year 1702 is noticeable from the fact that in it
produced the first daily paper with which we have
acc^uaintancc, and, unless the doctrine that nothing is
under the sun holds good in this case, the first daily pa
ever puWished. From it we take the following, wh;
appears on December i, and which seems — as no name
address is given, and as the advertiser does not even know
the name of the gentleman, or anything about him beyond
what is told in the advertisement — to have emanated from
one of the stews which were even then pretty numerous
London : —
1
Tiyr ISSED, on Sunday ni^jht, a large hanging coat of Irish fri
'^'^*- supposed to be la^cn away (ihro' mistake) by a gentleman
fair campaign wig and light-coloured dothca ; if he will please to re-
member where he took it, and bring it back again, it will be
received.
EARL Y PAHT OF EICHTEENTH CEyTCR Y
MS
\\'e should imagine thit, unless both coats and gentlemen
were more plentiful, in proportion to the population, in
those days than they are now, the rightful owner, who
bad probably also been a visitor at the establishment, went
without a garment which, judging by the date, must have
been peculiarly liable to excite cupidity. Nothing notice-
able occurs for a long time, except the growth of raffli
advertisements, and notices of lotteries. These arrange-
ments were called sales, though the only things sold were
most likely the confiding speculators. Everything possible
ivas during this age put up to be raffled, though, with the
exception of the variety of the items, which included eat-
ables, wearing apparel, houses, carriages and horses, &c
&c., there is nothing calling for coraraent about the style
of the notices. In the Postman of July 19-22, 1707, we at
last come upon this, which is certainly peculiar from more
than one point of view: —
MR Benjamin Ferrers, Facc-paintcr, the gentleman that can't
neilber ^pcak nor hear, is removed from the Crown and
Dagger at Charing Crou into Chandois Street, next door to the sign
o( ibc Three Tuns in Covent Garden,
This must have been one of the few cases in which
physical disability becomes a recommendation. Yet the
process of whitening sepulchres must after a lime have
become monotonous to even a deaf and dumb man. \Vc
suppose the highest compliment that could have been paid
to his work was, that the ladies who were subjected to it
looked " perfect pictures." Just about this time the use of
advertisements for the purposes of deliberate puffery began
to be discovered by the general trader, and in the Dat'fy
Cfurant of March 24. 1707, occurs a notice couched in the
style of pure hyperbole, and emanating from the establish-
ment of G, Willdcy and T. Brandreth, at the sign of the
Archimedes and Globe, on Ludgate Hill, who advertised a
microscope which magnified objects more than two ailUoD
146
HISTORY OF ADVERT/SING,
times, and a concave metal that united the sunbeams
vigorously that in a minute's time it melted steel and vitrifi<
the hardest substance. '*AIso," the notice went on to
*'we do protest we pretend to no impossibilities, and tl
we scorn to impose on any gentleman or others, but
we make and sell shall be really good, and answer the ei
we propose in our advertisements." Spectacles by whi<
objects might be discovered at twenty or thirty miles* di
tance, " modestly speaking/' are also mentioned ; **
the ingenious opticians finish off with, " we are now writii
a small treatise with the aid of the learned that gives
reasons why they do so, which will be given gratis to oi
customers." This is an effort which would not have di
graced the more mature puffers of following ages. But
aroused the anger and indignation of the former empIoy<
of Willdcy and Brand rcth, who having duly considered
matter, on April 16 put forth, also in the Daiiy Court
an opposition statement, which ultimately led to a regi
newspaper warfare : —
"DY John Yajwell and Ralph Sterrop, Right Spectacles,
-*-' and olhcr optic glasses, etc, were first brought to perfection
our own proper art, and needed not the boasted indasiry of
two apprentices to recommend them to the world ; who by fraudeni
appropriating to themselves what they never did, and obstinati
pretending to what they never can perform, can have no other end
view than to astonish the ignorant, impose on the credulous, and ami
the public. For which reason and at the request of several gentlei
already imposed on, as also to prevent such further abuses as
arise from the repeated advertisements of these two wonderful
formers, we John Yarwcll and Ralph Sterrop do give public nolii
that to any person who shall think it woith his while to make the
experiment, we will demonstrate In a minute's time the insuflictency of_
tlie instrument and the vanity uf the workmen by comparing Ifat
miraculous Two-Foot, with our Tliree and Four Foot Telesc<
And thercfure, till such a telescope be made, as shall come up to
character of iheiie unparalleled performers, we must declare il to
very impossible tiling.
Then the old-established and indignant masters pro<
EARI. y FAH T OF EIGHTEENTH CENTUR Y. 1 47
to recommend their own spectacles, perspectives, &c., In
more moderate terms than were employed by their late
apprentices, but still in an extremely confident manner. This
appeared for several days, and at last, on April 25, elicited
the following reply : —
WHEREAS Mr Yarwell. Mr Stcrrop, and Mr Marshall, the a
first were oar Masters wilh whom we sencd our Apprentice*
ships, and since for several years we have made the but of work foi
tbem and Mr MarshaiU And now they beJnij envious at our pros-
perity hare published several false, deceitful and malicious adver-
tiiements, wherein tliey a&sert tliat we cheat all that buy any of oitr
goods, and that we pretend to many impossibilities, and impose on
the public, ihcy having wr&stcd the words and scn^c of our adverluie-
ments, pretend that wc affirm that a 2 Foot Telescope of our making
will do as much as the be&t 4 Foot of another man's make, and they
(lauduleutly show in their shops one of their best 4. Foots against our
small one, and then cry out against the insufficiency of our instrument.
Now we G. Willdey and Th. Brandreth being notoriously abused,
decUrc (bat we never did as^rt any such thing, or ever did pretend
to impossibilities, but will make good in every particular all those
[note, these are their own words] (imiTOssible, incredable, miraculous
vondciful, and astonishing) things mentioned in our advertisements;
which things perhaps may be impossible, incredible, miraculous,
wonderful, and astonishing to ihcm, but wc assure tlicm they are not
•0 to us : For wc have small miraculous tclescoi)cs, as tlicy arc pleased
to call thon, that do such wonders that they say it is impoisible to
make such, by the assistance of which we will lay any person £\o^
that instead of 3 miles mentioned, wc will tell them the hotir of the
day 3 if not 4 miles by such a dial as St James's or Uow.
After this the recalcitrant apprentices repeat all their
former boasts, and conclude : '* All these things are as they
say impossible to them, but are and will be made by G.
Willdey and T. Brandrcth. . , . Let ingenuity thrive."
Willdey and Brandreth now, no doubt, thought that they
had turned the tables upon their former masters, and had all
the best of the battle \ but the dud was not yet over, as the
second time this advertisement appeared {Daily Cottrant^
April a6), the following was immediately under it : —
148
HISTORY OF ADVERT/SING.
A CONFIDENT Mountebank by Ihe help of Iiis bragging i
passes upon the ignorant as n profound doctor, the coinii
medicines and the easiest operations in such an one's hand, sU
cried up as miracles. But there are mountebanks In other arts i
as in physick : Glasgrinding it seems is not free from 'em, a^
seen in ihc vain boastings of Willdcy and Brnndrilh. 'Tis well 1
to all gentlemen that have had occasion to use optic glassci I
Yarwell was the true improver of that art, and has deservedly o^
for it, in all parts abroad as -well ns nt home. He and R, Strf
who lives in the old shop in Lurlgate Street, have always and dd
make as true nnd good works of all kinds in tJint art as any m«
do. And we are so far from discouraging any improvement, tlj
gladly receive from any band, and will be at any cxpcncc to
practice an invention really advantageous in the art. But W
perfonnances are bO far from improvements tliat we are
oppose any of our work to his and stake any wager upon the ju^
of a skilful man. And because he talks so particularly of
foot telescope, to let the world see that there is nuthing in that l
we will slake lo Guineas upon a two-foot telescope of outs aga
same of his. And further to take away all pretensions of o<
paring one on purpose, if any gentleman that has a two-foot te
bought of us within a year past, and not injured in the use,
dace it, we \vill lay 5 Guineas upon its performance ngainst
theirs of the same date. This is bringing the matter upon the s
and will, we hope, satisfy the world that we are not worse woi
than tho&e we Uiught.
Again the young men ventured into print (May i,
to reply, and to defend what they were pleased to cal
naked truth, "against the apparent malicious lies and abg
of their former employers, in whose last advertise!
they pointed out some inconsistencies, clainoed the iin
tion of the perfected spectacles as theirs, and endd
offering to bet " 20 guineas to their 10, that neitherj
nor Mr Marshall can make a better telescope than we I
This, though rather a descent from the high horse
viously occupied by llieui, was sufiicient to rousej
anger of an interested yet hitherto passive s]
and Mr Marshall presently (May 8) indignantly
forth: —
EAKL y FART OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, 149
TilE best method now used for Grinding SpecUdes and olhcr
glasses, was by me at great diar^e and pains found out« which
I shewed to the Royal Society in the year 1693, and l>y ihcm approved ;
being gentlemen the best ikillcd in optics, for which they gave me
their cenificate to let the world know what I had done. Since which
I haTc made spectacles, telescopes, and microscopes, for all the Kings
tnd Pfince's Courts in Europe. And as for the 2 new spectacle makers,
that would insinuate to the world that they were my best workmen for
levcnl years : the one T never employed, the other I found aa I doubt
not bnt many gentlemen have and will find them both, to be only
bouter^ and not petfurrnccs uf what Ihey advertise^ &c. &c.
After pursuing this strain till he had run down, Mr Mar-
shall concludes by saying, "A\Tiat I have inserted is nothing
but truth." At the same time Yarwell and Stcrrop over-
whelmed the raisers of this hornets' nest with a new atten-
tion, .in which among other things was the following : —
Mr Willdcy and Brandreth have the folly to believe that abundance
of words is sufficient to goin applause, and therefore throw 'cm out
without regard to truth and reason, but as that is an afTront to the
cnderstanding of gentlemen that use the goods they sell, they being
persons of discerning judgment, there ncc<ls no olticr answer to what
they have published than to compare one part with another. They set
forth wilh a lying vaunt that their two-foot telescope would pcrfonn
the same that a common four-foot one would do, and when 'twas
replied that was faUe, and a four-foot one offered to try, they poorly
shift off with crying '* That 's one of your best four-foot ones." Now
ve profess to make none but best, the glasses of every one being true
ground and lightly adjusted, and the dt(Terence in price arrises only
from the goodness, ornaments, and convenience of the case, neither can
he produce a four-foot one of anybody's make, tliat does not far exceed
bis two-foot, nor does his two-fuot one at all exceed our?, which they
don't DOW pretend. And therefore the lie is all on his side, and the
impossibility in his pretensions is as strong as ever, and what we have
aid is just truth, and his foul language no better than Billingsgate rail-
ing. But it seems because we do not treat him in his own way and
decry his goods as much as he docs other men's, he has the folly to
construct it as an ncUnowledgcmcnt that his excel. But we are so far
fcom allowing that, tliat we do aver iliey have nothing to brag of but
what (hey leomt of us, and Brandreth was so indiffciY^nt a workman
that Marshall, who had taken him for a journeyman, was fain to turn
bim off. The secrets they brag of is all a falsehood^ and the raicr<i-
1
I
ISO
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
I
scope the same that aiiy one may hare from Citlpeper vrl
maker. We have already lold the world that we will venture oir
wager upon the performance of our two foot telescope against tbein
and we would be glad to have it taken up that we might liaVe tb
opportunity of showing that ours exceeds, and letting the world
that his brags arc only such as mountebanks make in medicine.
Finally, in the Daily Cottraui iov May 12, 1707, WilU
and Bi^ndreth once again insert their vaunt, and then pro
ceed to demolish their late employers thus : — ■
We do afiirm U [the telescope made by W.&B.] to be the plcas&ntd
and uscfullest instrument of this kind, and what our adversaries hav
said against it is faUe and proceeds from an ill desigii ; we hav
already offered to lay them 20 guineas to their 10 that they could no
make a better, but tliey knowing they were not capable to engage u
in that particular, said in their answer that there needs no more thai
to compare one instrument with nnolhcr that they may have the oppox
lunily of shewing that theirs exceeds ; to which proposal we do agree
and to that purpose have bought 3 of their best telescopes that wi
might be sure of one that was good, though they say in their advertise
menta that they make none but the best, and we arc ready lo give ou:
oalhs that no damage has been done them since tliey were bought
And now lo bring these raatlers to an end, we will lay them ao guinea:
to their 10, tliat 3 of our best of the same sizes are better that
them ; and any genUeman (hat will may see the experiment tried la lu
instant at our shop, where tlicy may also see that our best pockc
telescope comes not far short of their best large 4 Foot one. Atk
several other curiosities all made to the greatest perfection. Aw
whereas Mr Yarwell, Mr Slerrop, and Mr Marshall have maliciously,
fal-sly, and unjustly insinuated that we are but indifferent workmen
several persons being justly moved by that scandalous aspersion, havi
offered to give their oaths that they have often heard them say that wi
were the best of workmen, and that we understood our bosiness as wel
as themselves. And as such we do each of us challenge them all ;
severally to work with them, who does most and best for/'ao. As foi
the Microscope it is onr own invention, and 2 of them were made byre
before any person saw them, as we can prove by witnesses ; as wc olst
can their railing and scandalous aspersions to be false. All person
may be assured that all our instruments do and will answer the char
acter given them in the odveriisements of T, tirandreth and G. Willd^,
&c. &c.
Whether the game was too expensive, or whether the
EARL Y PART OF ElG/ITEF.NTIl CENTUR Y, 15 1
firm was shut up by this, we know not, but anyhow they
retired from the contest, and it is to be hoped found that
riralry fosters rather tlian injures business. We have given
particular attention to this conflict of statements, as it shows
how soon advertisements, after they had become general,
were used for aggressional and objectionable trade purposes.
Passing on for a little space, until 1709, the Tatlcr appears
on the scene, and commences with a full share of adverlise-
tnents^ and very soon one is found worthy of quotation.
Tiiis appears on March 21, and is a form of application
which soon found favour with the gallants and ladies of
pleasure of the day: —
A GENTLEMAN who, ihe Ivrenlielli instant, had ihc honoar to
conduct a Udy out of a boat at Whitcha.ll Stairs, desires to know
when he may wait on her to disclose a matter of concern. A letter
directed to Mr Samuel Rcex'es, to Ijc left with Mr May, at the Golden
Head, the upper end of New Southampton Street, Covent Garden.
There are about this time many instances appearing in
the notice columns of what has been called love at first sight,
though from the fact that advertisements had to bring their
influence to bear on the passion, it looks as though tl\e
impression took some time to fix itself. Otherwise the
declaration might have been made at once, unless, indeed,
timidity prevented it. Perhaps, too, the occasional presence
of a gentleman companion might have deterred these inflam-
mable youths from prosecuting their suits and persecuting
the objects of their temporary adoration. Just after the
foregoing we come upon a skve advertisement couched in
the following terras : —
A BLACK, boy, twelve years of age, fit to wait on a gentleman, to
be dbposcd of at Dcnis*8 Coffee house in Finch Lane, near the
Royal Exchange.
There is no mincing the matter about this, and as, at the
same time, a very extensive traffic was carried on in "white
flesh" for the plantations, the advertiser would doubtless
«S2
HISTORY OF 4-DVERTISrXG.
have regarded sympathy with his property as not oi
kliotic but offensive. And then wc light on what must
regarded as an advertisement, though it emanates from th<
editorial sanctum, and is redolent of that humour whici
first identified with the TafUr, has never yet been surpasse(
and, as many still say, never equalled : —
ANV ladies who have any particulcir stories of their acquaintanc
■**• which they are willing privately lo make public, may send *
by Ihc penny post to Isaac BickcrslafT, Esq., enclosed lo Mr JoU
Morphcu, near Stationers' Hall.
What a chance for the lovers of scandal, and doubtle
they readily availed themselves of it. Many a hearty laugl
must Steele have had over the communications receive
and many of them must have afforded him the groundwoi
for satires, which at the time must have struck home indcc
In the following year " Isaac Bickerstaff, Esquire," seems
have taken it into his head iliat John Partridge, the astro!
ger, ought to be dead, if he really was not, and so inserte
a series of advertisements to the effect that that worthy had
really departed this life, which, however amusing to th^H
Tatier folk and the public, seem to have nearly driven th^^
stargazer wild.* One
appears on August so.
of the best of this
1710, runs thus : —
senes, which
• This is Parlridge the almanac-maker, who was fortunate enough
Ijc mentioned iu the " Rape of the Lock." AAcr the rape has \ok\
place the poem goes on to say —
** Thit the /vdM tHOHiif jihalt from the Mall stirveyt
And hail wiih music ils ]<roi)ilioa« ray ;
This ihclilr^l Uivrr ftliall for Venus Luke,
Ad'I Mfid lip pmyers fmm Rosmnundii's Juice :
I'hU Partnd);e soon ikHall view in cloudlcti skici^
WlicD ncil h« IomIcs ihrotigh Galileo's ej'vs;
And hence the csregiauii vriurd ihalt foredoom
llie fate of Louis and the fail of Rome."
It would seem, therefore, that the guiding spirits of ihe TatUr^ fancying
that he had received undue publicity in a favourable manner, were dii-^
posed to show Partridge that <dl advertUcmenUi are not necessari]
linnets to basinc<%s.
-A
EARLY PART OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. i^
XlfHEREAS an ignorant Upstart in Astrology has pnblidy endca-
■ ■ vourcH to persuade the world that be is the late John Partridge,
who died the 28 of March 1718, these are to certify all whom it may
c<mccin, tliat the true John Partridge vnts not only dead at that time
hut continue* so to the prc«nt day. Beware of count erfcits, for such
art abroad.
The quiet yet pungent drollery of this is aJmost irresistible,
but it has the effect of making us rather chary of accepting
any of the remaining advertisements which look at all like
emanations from the quaint fancy of the editor. Take the
following, for instance, which is found among a number of
others of an ordinary character, undistinguished from them
by any peculiarity of type or position. It seems, however,
to betray its origin : —
rhi CharitahU AdvUt Offi(f, where all persons may have the opinion
ofdigni^ed Clergymen, learned Council, Graduate Physicians,
■nd experienced Sui^eons, to any question in Divinity, Morality, Law,
Pljysic, or Surgery, with proper Prescriptions within twelve hours aficr
they have delivered in a state of their case. Those who can't write
may have their cases slated at the office. * • The fees arc only \s. at
delivery or sending yonr case, and u. more on re-delivering that and
the opinion upon it, being what is thought sufficient to defray the
Deces^ary expense of servants and office-rent.
The theory of advertising must about this time have
Iieen found considerably interesting to men who were
imhkely to participate in its benefits unless it were through
the increased prosperity of the newspapers to which they
contributed, for essays and letters on the subject, some
humorous and others serious, appear quite frequently. Most
noticeable among the former is an article from the pen of
Addis''*n, which appears in No. 224 of the TaHo\ date
September 14, 17 10. It will speak better for itself than we
can apeak for it: —
*' Mattriem nt/era&a/ iffius.—Ov in. Met. ii. 5.
•* The matter cqaall'd not the artist's skill. — R. Wvnne.
" It is my custom, in a dearth of news, to entertain
myself with those collections of advertisements that appear
^^^gg^
154
mSTORY OF ADVERT/SIXG,
at the end of our public prints. These I consider
accounts of news from the little world, in the same roam
that the foregoing parts of the paper are from the grea
If in one we hear that a sovereign prince is fled from
capital city, in the other we hear of a tradesman who h
shut up his shop and nm away. If in one we find the vi
tory of a general, in the other we see the desertion of a
private soldier. I must confess I have a certain weakness
in my temper that is often very much affected by these little
domestic occurrences, and have frequently been caught
with tears in my eyes over a melancholy advertisement.
" But to consider this subject in its most ridiculous lights,
advertisements are of great use to the vulgar. First of all
as they are instruments of ambition. A man that is by no
means big enough for the Gazette, may easily creep into the
advcrltscments ; by which means we often see an apothe-
cary in the same paper of news with a plenipotentiary, or a
running footman with an ambassador. An advertisement
from Piccadilly goes down to posterity with an article from
Madrid, and John Bartlett* of Goodman's Fields is cele-
brated in the same paper with the Emperor of Germany.
Thus the fable tells us, that the wren mounted as high
as the eagle, by getting upon his back.
"A second use which this sort of writings have be
turned to of late years has been the management of conlr
versy, insomuch that above half tlie advertisements o
meets with nowadays are purely polemical. The inventor^
of * Strops for Razors' have written against one another this
way for several years, and that with great bitterness ;t
i
• An odvertifting trussmaker of that day.
f A specimen advertisement of one of these inventors appears in tl
Postman of January 6-9, 1 705 : —
SINCE Ro many upstarts do daily publish one thing or other
counterfeit ihc orit;inal strops, for setting raiors penknives, lancet
etc, upon, Ami prctcml Uiem to he most excellent ; the first author of "'
EARLY PART OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
155
c whole argument /r£? and con in the case of the * Mom-
g Gown ' is still carried on after the same manner. I
eed not mention the several proprietors of Dr Anderson's
pills ; nor take notice of the many satirical works of this
nature so frequently published by Dr Clark, who has liad
the confidence to advertise upon that learned knight, ray
very worthy friend. Sir William Read :* but I shall not inter-
y pose in their quarrel : Sir William can give him his own in
^^■dvertisements, that, in the judgment of the impartial, are
^^■s well penned as the Doctor's.
^H "The third and last use of these writings is to inform
l^^he world where they may be furnished with almost every
thing that is necessar)' for life. If a man has pains in his
head, colics in his bowels, or spots in his clothes, he may
here meet with proper cures and remedies. If a man would
recover a wife or a horse that is stolen or strayed ; if he
wants new sermons, clectuarieSt asses' milk, or anything else.
I laid strops, does hereby testify that all such sort of things are only
BUde in imitation of ihc Inic oncjt, which are permitted to be sold by
ID one but ^Ir Shipton, at John's CofTee House, in Exchange Alley, ai
■■th txren often mentioned in the Gazettes, to prevent people being
knher imposed upon.
u
An opposition notice appears shortly afterwards in the Daily Ccurant
January 1 1 : —
THE Right Venetian Strtpt^ being the only famM ones made, aa
appears by the many thousands that have been sold, noiwitlistand-
ing the many false shams ami ridiculous pretences, as "original," eta,
iJiat are almost every day publiiihed to promote the sale of counterfeits,
and to lessen the great and truly wonderful fame of the Venetian Strops^
which are most certainly the best in the world, fnr ihcy will give razon,
penknives, lancets, etc, such an exquisite fine, smooth, sharp, exact
and durable edge, that the like was never known, which has been
experienced by thuu^ands of gentlemen in England, Scotland and Ire-
id. Are sold only at Mr AUcraft'&r a toy shop at the Blue Coat
>y, against tlie Royal Exchange, &c. &c.
* Both oculists of some renown, who advertised largely.
156
mSTOK Y OF ADV'ERliSING.
either for his body or mind, this is the place to look fc
them in.
''The great art in writing advertisements, is the findii
out a proper method to catch the reader's eye, withoi
wliich a good thing may pass unobserved, or be lost amon|
commissions of bankrupt Asterisks and hands were foi
mcrly of great use for this purpose. Of late years the N.!
has been much in fashion, as also little cuts and 6gures, tl
invention of which we must ascribe to the author of sprin|
trusses. I must not here omit the blind Italian charactei
which being scarce legible, always fixes and detains the ey<
and gives the curious reader something like the satisfacti<
of prj'ing into a secret.
" But the great skill in an advertiser is chiefly seen in
style which he makes use of. He is to mention the 'uni
versal esteem/ or 'general reputation* of things that W(
never heard of. If he is a physician or astrologer, he mi
change his lodgings frequently ; and though he never sal
anybody in them besides his own family, give public noti(
of it, * for the information of the nobility and gentry:!
Since I am thus usefully employed in writing criticisms oi
the works of these diminutive authors, I must not pass ov<
in silence an advertisement, which has lately made its ap-
pearance and is written altogether in a Ciceronian manner.
It was sent to me with five shillings, to be inserted among
my advertisements ; but as it is a pattern of good writing
in this way, I shall give it a place in the body of my paper*
" The highest coniponnded Spirit of Lavender, the most glorious
the cxprcKsion may be used, enlivening scent and flavour that can poi
sibly be, which so raptnres the spirits, delights the gusU, and gh
such aire to the coutilcnance, as are not to be imagined but by th(
that have tried it. The meanest sort of the thing is admired by most
gentlemen and ladies ; but this far more, us by far it exceciU it, tu the
gaining among all a more than common esteem. It is sold in neat flint
bottles, fit for the pocket, only at the Golden Key in Wharton's Court,
near Holborn Bars, fur lluec shillings and sixpence, with directions.
*' At the same time that I recommend the several flowei
:j
EARLY PART OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 157
in which this spirit of lavender is wrapped up, if the expres-
sion may be used, I cannot excuse my fellow-labourers for
adraitiing into iheur papers several uncleanly advertisements,
not at all proper to appear in the works of polite writers*
Among them I must reckon the ' Carminative Wind-
Expelling Pills.' If the Doctor had called them • Carmi-
native Pills/ he had been as cleanly as any one could
have wished ; but the second word entirely destroys the
decency of the first. There are other absurdities of this
^Juture so very gross, that I dare not mention them ; and
lail therefore dismiss this subject with an admonition to
Michael Parrot, that he do not presume any more to men-
tion a certain worm he knows of, which, by the way, has
grown seven foot in my memory; for, if I am not much
mistaken, it is the same that was but nine feet long about
six months ago.
" By the remarks I have here made, it plainly appears,
that a collection of advertisements is a kind of miscellany ;
the writers of which, contrary to all authors, except men of
quality, give money lo the booksellers who publish their
copies. The genius of the bookseller is chiefly shown in
his method of ranging and digesting these little tracts. The
last paper I look up in my hands places them in the follow-
ing order : —
*'The true Spanish blacking for shoes, etc
" The beautifying cream for the face, etc.
" Pease and Plasters, etc
" Nectar and Ambrosia, etc.
** Four freehold tenements of fifteen pounds per annum,
etc
** The present state of England, etc,
" Annotations upon the Tatler, etc.
*' A commission of Bankrupt being awarded against R.
L„ bookseller, etc."
This essay probably aroused a good deal of attention,
and among tl;e letters of correspondents is one from a
158
IfJSTORY OF ADVERnSIAG,
"Self-interested Solicitor," which appears in No. 228, am
runs thus :—
" Mr Bickcrsiaff.
" I am going to set up for a scrivener, and have
thought of a project which may turn both to your account
and mine. It came into my head upon reading that
learned and useful paper of yours concerning adver-
tisements. You must understand I have made myself
Master in the whole art of advertising, both as to the style
and the letter. Now if you and I could so manage it, that
nobody should write advertisements besides myself, or
print them anywhere but in your paper, we might both of
us get estates in a little time. For this end I would like-
wise propose that you should enlarge the design of adver-
tisements, and have sent you two or three samples of raj
work in this kind, which I have made for particular friendi
and intend to open shop with. The first is for a gentlemj
who would willingly marry, if he could find a wife to
liking; the second is for a poor Whig, who is hitely turn*
out of his post; and the third for a person of a contrary
party, who is willing to get into one.
" Whereas A. B. next door to the Pestle and Mortal
being about thirty years old, of a spare make, with dark-
coloured hair, bright eye, and a long nose, has occasion
for a good-humoured, tall, fair, young woman, of about
^3000 fortune \ these are to give notice That if any sucl^J
young woman has a mind to dispose of herself in marriagi^l
to such a person as the above mentioned, she may be pro^^
vided with a husband, a coach and horses and a propor-
tionable settlement
** C. D. designing to quit his place, has great quantttit
of paper, parchment, ink, wax, and wafers to dispose
which will be sold at very reasonable rates.
" E. F. a person of good behaviour, sLx foot high, of a b!a<
complexion and sound principles, wants an employ. He
an excellent penman and accomptant, and speaks French,
k^
EAJiL Y PAR T OF EIGHTEENTH CENTUR Y. 1 59
And so on, advertisements being then considered proper
sport for wits of all sizes and every peculiarity. In 171 1 we
come upon the first edition of the Spectator^ which certainly
did not disdain to become a medium for most barefaced
quacks, if wc may judge by this : — J
AN adraimble confect which assuredly cures Stuttering and Stammer-
'**^ ing in chilt.Ucn or grown persons, thuugb never so bad, causing
them lo speak distinct and free without any trouble or difficulty ; it
resnedies aJl manner of impediments in Lhc speech or disorders of the
voice of any kind, proceeding from what cause soever, rendciiug those
persons capable uf speaking easily and ficc, and with a clear voice who
before were not able to utler a sentence without hesitation. Its stupen-
dous effects in so quickly and infaUibly curing Stammering and all
disorders of the voice and difHcully in delivery of the speech are
really wonderful. Price 25. 6d. a pot, with directions. Sold only at
Mr Osbom's Toyshop, at the Rose and Crown, under St Dunsian's
church Fleet street.
This is a truly marvellous plan for greasing the tongue.
The only wonder is that the advertiser did not recommend
it as invaluable to public speakers for increasing the fluency
to such an extent that the orator had but to open his momh
and let his tongue do as it willed. And certainly the most
rebellious and self-willed tongue could hardly give utterance
10 more remarkable statements, if left entirely to itself,
than appears in the following, which is also from the ori-
ginal edition of the Spectator : — |
LOSS of Memor>', or Forgctfulness, certainly cured by a grateful
■* electuary peculiarly adapted for that end; it strikes at tlie
primary source, which few apprehend, of forgctfulness, makes tlie
jierul clear and eflsy, the spirits free, active, and undisturbed, corrobo-
rates and revives all the noble faculties of the soul, such as thought,
judgment, apprehension, reason and memory, which last in particular
it so strengthens as to render that faculty exceeding quick and good
beyond imagination ; thereby cnabhng those whose memory was
before almost totally lost, lo remember the minutest circumstances of
tbeir affairs, etc. to a wonder. Price 25. 6tl. a pot. Sold only at Mr
Faync's at the Angel aad Crown, in St Paul's Cburcliyard, with
directions.
l6o
HISTORY or ADVERTISING.
•
It is sometimes possible to remember loo much ; ami if
the specific sold by Mr Payne had but a homceopathic
tendency, and caused those who recollected things which
never happened to become cured of their propensities, it is
a pity its recipe has to be numbered among the lost things
of this world. In the beginning of 1712, one Ephraim
How seems to have been possessed of a fear that evil folks
had been trying to injure him or Iiis business, or elsr he
felt it incumbent on himself to take the hint thrown out in
the Taticr essay. Accordingly he published in the Daily
Courant the following : —
'\1THEREAS several persons who sell knives, for the better vend-
' » ing ihcir bad wares spread reports that Ephraim How, Cutler
of London is deceased. This is to certify That he is living, and kcxips
his business as formerly^ with his son in partnership, at the Heart and
Crown on Saffron Hill ; there being dirers imitations, you arc desired
to observe the mark, which is the Heart Crown and Dagger, with
How under it.
About this period shopkeepers were or pretended to be
particularly loyal^ for a very large percentage of their signs
contained the emblem of royalty, coupled with various other
figures. Though the Methuen treaty, which favoured the
importation of Portuguese wines, and discouraged the use
of claret, was signed in 1703, it docs not appear to have
made much diflference in this country for some years, as
the first mention we find of the new wine is in a Postboy of
January 17 12, and is caused by the rivalry which sprang
up among those who first began to sell it ; —
^JOTICE is hereby given, That Mes&icnrs Trubcy, at the Qac<
•^^ Arms Tavern, the West End of St Paul's Church, have
of Sir John Houblon, 76 pipes of Kew natural Oporio Wines,
and white, perfect neat, and shall remain genuine, chosen out of
pipes, and did not buy the cflsi-ouls. Also they have bought of oil
merchants large quantiiiea of ncxo natural Oporto wines, with
choice (by the l.nst fleet). And altho' the aforesaid did buy of Classic
^rook and HeliicTj new natural Oporto wiacs of the earUesl impoi
EARLY PART OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. i6i
tioii. which they hftve yet by them ; and 'lis not only iheJr 05tb ojimion,
llut the said Sir John Houhlon's and other merchant's Oporto wines,
V hich ihcy have bovight are superior, and do give us more general
>iti±t'action ; for the same is daily confirmM by gentlemen and others
r>t' uodoubtcd judgment and credit. Further this asscrtioo dcM:rves
rr-^rd. Til. That the said Messieun* Brocik and HcHicrs have Uni^ht
of sc^'cral mcTchanls entire parcels of Oporto and Vlana wines, red and
vkhite, good and bod, thereby continuing retailing, under the spedons
and faSIacions pretences of natural red and neat of thctr on*n importing.
NB^ — The intentions of the above-named Vintners arc not any way
to reproach or diminUh the reputation of their brethren, nor insinuate
to ihcir detriment, sympathizing with them. Note the aforesaid nao
natural Oporto wines, are to be loM by the aforesaid vintners at £,\h
per hogshead, at iSd. per quart, without door?, and at 20d. per quarts
within their own houses.
Brook & Hellicr, whose wine is spoken of so slightingly,
kept the Bumper Tavern in Covent Garden, which had
formerly belonged to Dick Estcourt. They seem quite able
to bear what has been said of them, for they have the
Sp<ctafor^ who has evidently tasted, and quite as evidently
liked their wines, at their back, one of the numbers of this
disinterested periodical being devoted almost entirely to
lljeir praise. The Spectator was by no means averse to a
bit of good genuine puffer)', and Peter Motteux, formerly
an author who had dedicated a poem or two to Steele, and
who at that time kept one of the Indian warehouses so
much in fashion, received kindnesses in its columns more
than once. So did Renatus Harris the organ-builder, who
competed with Smith for the Temple organ, and many
others. So it is not extraordinary that their advertisement
is found in the Spectator very shortly after that just quoted.
They seem, however, to have been disinclined to quarrel, as
ihcir notice makes no mention of their rivals :—
BROOK and liellicr, &c havitig discovered that sctmtiI gentle-
men's servants who have liccn sent to thctr taverns and cellars
for neat Oporto wines (which is iSd. per quart) have instead thereof
bo«|*ht the &mall Viana, which is but I5d. a quart ; and that some who
have been »cnt directly to the above taverna and cellars have never
I6i
ITISTORY OF ADVERTJSmC,
come there, but carried home (like traitors) something else ftt
]->laces for Brook and HcUicrs. Gentlemen are therefore
when they su.spect thcm.selves Imposed on, to send Ihe wiiJ
d lately to the place they ordered it from, era note of what il «
sent for, in order to know the tnith^ and Brook and HclUeiB j
the extraordinary charge of porters on this occasion.
From this and kindred advertisements it looks as
gentlemen were not at the time in the habit of ft
large quantities of wine in tlie house, but rather of
it in fresh and fresh as required from the tavern, or b
round themselves, and taking it home under theil
Also tl»c servants of the lime do not appear to be poi
of much more honesty than falls to the lot of the doi
of even these degenerate days. The effect of the n
port as soon as it was once tried, is shown by the foil
which also appeared in the January of 1712, ia the
Courant: —
'T^lIE first Io9s is the best especially in the Wiae Trade, oi
-^ that coo^tdetation Mr Juhu Crooke will now sell bis
Claret for 4s. a gallun, to make an end uf a troublciome am
trade. Dated ihe 7Lh gf January from hts vault in Oroad q
doors below the Angel and Crown Tavern, bcluud the Royal E<
John Cr<
But this appeal to the lovers of bargains, as well
claret, was evidently a failure ; for three or four days
wards, and also in the same paper, another, and
different attempt, is made to draw the unwilling dl
to the Angel and Crown : —
T T having Ijccn represented to Mr John Crooke that notwiih*
-^ the general approbation his French claret has received, yet 1
his customers out of a covetous disposition do resort to other p
buy much inferior wine, and afterwards sell the same for Mr C
claret, which practices (if not timely prevented) do manifestly
the ruin of his undertaking, and he being finuly resolved to <
and prc^rve the repuLition of his vault, and also witling to \
customers all fitting encouragement ; for these causes and oth«
unto him moving, he gives notice that from hencefurib he will
veiy good Frcndi claret for no more than 4s. a gallon at his vm^
A
KARL Y PART OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 163
The fight between port and claret was very fierce this
year, but the new drink had almost from the first the best
of the battle, if we may judge from the strenuous appeals
put forth by those who have much claret to sell, and who
evidently find it very like a drug upon their hands. One
individual seems at last to arrive at the conclusion that he
may as well ask a high price as a low one for his claret,
seeing that people are unwilling to buy in either case. The
advertisement occurs in the Daily Courant for December
29, 1712. The wily concocter of the plan also thinks that
by making three bottles the smallest limit of his sale, the
unwary may fancy a favour is being conferred upon them,
and buy accordingly ; —
THE noWeU new French claret lh.it ever was imported, bright,
deep, ilfong and of most dcliciuus flayour. being of the very best
growth in France, and never in any cooper or vintucj'fi hands, but
porely neat from the grape, botllcd ofT from the lee. <9il ihe quality
and gentry ihat laste it, allow it to be the finest flowed that ever was
drank. Trice 424. the doao, bottles aud all, which h but 35. 6ci. a
bottle, for excellence not to be matched for douhle that, pr.ce. None
las than 3 bottles. To be had only at the Golden Key, in Haydon
Yard, in the Minories, where none but the very best and perfectly neat
vine shall ever be sold.
There is good reason to believe that the claret which
had been so popular up till this period, was a very different
wine from that which is now known by the same name. It
was, most probably, a strong well-sweetened drink ; for, as
it has ever been necessary to make port thick and sweet
for the public taste, it is most likely this was at first done
for the purpose of rivalling the claret, and folk would hardly
have turned suddenly from one wine to another of a
decidedly opposite character." The amount of advertising,
probably fostered by the wine rivalry, grew so much this
year, that the Ministry were struck with the happy idea of
putting a tax upon every notice, and accordingly there is
a sudden fall off in the number of advertisements in and
•
i64 ff/S TOR y or AD VER T/S/AC
after August, the month in which the change took place.
In fact, the Daify Courant appears several limes with only
one ativemsement, that of Drury Lane Theatre, the average
number being hitherto about nine or ten. However, the
imposers of the tax were quite right in their estimate of
the value of advertisements ; as, though checked for a
time, they ultimately grew again, though their progress
was comparatively slovv compared wiih previous days. We
find a characteristic announcement just at the close of tlie
year, one not to be checked by the duty-charge, and so we
append if : —
T>riS is n give notice That ihcrc is a young womnn bom within
30 miles of London will nin for ^^50 or;^*ioo, a mile ond an
hair, u-ith d.nj oilier woman thai has livM a year within the same dis*
lance ; upon any good ground, as the parties conccm'd shall agree to.
Unnatural and unfeminine exhibitions, in accordance
with this advertisement, of pugilism, foot-racing, cudgel-
playing, &c , were at this time not unfrequent, and tlic
spectacle of two women stripped to the waist, and doing
their best to injure or wear down each other, was often
enjoyed by the bloods of the early eighteenth century. At
I the same time that the tax was placed on advertisements,
the stamp-duty on newspapers became an accomplished
fact, and Swift tn his journal to Stella of July 9, 1 7 1 2, says,
"Grub Street has but ten days to live, then an Act of
Parliament takes place that ruins it by taxing every half-
sheet a halfpenny." And just about a month after, he
chronicles the effect of this cruelty : *' Do you know that
Grub Street is dead and gone last week? No more ghosts
or murders now for love or money. I plied it close the
last fortniglil and published at least seven papers of my
own, besides some of other people's ; but now every single
-J half-sheet pays a halfpenny to the Queen. The ObsetTator
is fallen ; the Medleys have jumbled together with the Flymi,
Post; the Examiner is deadly sick ; the Spectator keeps up and
A
EAUL y PAUT OF EIGHTEENTH CENTUR K 165
es its price. I know not how long it will hold Have
u~seen the red stamp the papers are marked with?
ethinks the stamping is worth a halfpenny." Thieves
out this lime seem to have had delicate susceptibilities,
^t was the custom to advertise goods which were
Bubtedly stolen as lost. Thus we see constantly in the
gn of Queen Anne such notices as this: '* Lost out of
xjom in Russell Street a number of valuable objects. . .
. "Wliocver brings them back shall have ten guineas
ward, or in proportion for any part, and no questions
Kcd." This style of advertising grew so that just about
* middle of the century it was found necessary to put a
»p to it by Act of Parliament, which took effect on the
St of June 1752, the penalty being ^50 for any one who
vertised " no questions asked," and ^50 for the publisher
10 inserted any such notice in his paper. Haydn gives
'& date as 1754, but a reference to the General A dver User
February 21, 1752, in which the notice of the date on
lich the law is to come Into effect appears, shows that
uras two years earlier. Also a reference to any Parlia-
ibtary record of forty years before that will show that
tin 1713, as Haydn has it, but on the 22nd April 1712,
r Conyers reported from Committee of the whole House,
10 were considering further ways and means for raising
i supply granted 10 her Majesty ; when among other
jasures it was resolved that a duty of I2d. be charged for
ery advertisement in any printed paper, besides the stamp-
ty which was at the same time imposed on the news-
[lers. This and other extra taxes were levied, because
ance having refused to acknowledge the title of Queen
me till the peace should be signed, it was resolved to
Dtinue the war *^ till a safe and honourable peace could
obtained." For this purpose money was of course
luired ; and if they never did good any other way, or
y other lime, quacks and impostors, libertines and
ds, did it now, as they mainly contributed all that
i66
HISTORY OF ADVERTJSI^C
I
was gathered for some years by means of the advertisemei
tax. There seems to have been a good deal of drunkenm
going on in the time of Queen Anne, and the lavt
keepers contributed in many ways to swell the revenue
But even their advertisements drop off after the impositii
of the lax, as do tliose of promoters of nostrums and Iotteri<
and the managers of theatres. These public benefactc
are, however, not so blind to their own interests, but tJ
they soon return.
Notwithstanding the many important events of the nea
few years, nothing worthy of clironicling in the way
advertisements is to be found till 1720, when we come U]
the following, which is peculiar as being one of the earh
specimens of the ventilation of private quarrels by means
advertisements. It occurs in the Daily Post of Januai
i6th:—
AIMIEREAS an advertisement was lately put in Heathcoti
' ' Halfpenny Post, by way of challenge for me to meet a pci
(whose name to mc is unknown) al Old Man's CoflTcchouRe ni
Charing Cro^, ihe 3S instant in order to hear that said person mi
out his assertions in that Dialogue we had in Palace Yard, the lit
of November 1718, This will let that person know that as he wod
not then tell me Iiis name, nor put it to his advertisement, I condut
he is ashatncd to have it in print. When he sends me his name
writing, that I may know wlio to ask for, I shall be willing to
him at any convenit:iit lime and place, either by ourselves or with ti
friends on each side, till ihcn I shall have neither list nor Itrisure
obey his nameless summons. Robert Curtis.
Soulhwark, Jan. I3lh, i/tg-sa
Certainly time enough seems to have elapsed between tl
dialogue and the publication of this advertisement to alloi
of all angry passions lo have subsided ; but Robert Curlii
whose name is thus preserved till now, would seem to hai
been a careful youth, picking his way clear of pitfalls, am
with shrewdness suflicient to discover that anonymity but
too often disguises foul intent. In that particular matters
ive not considerably improved even up to the present time.
EAfiL Y PAfl T OF EIcnTEENTH CENTURY. 167
The year 1720 is memorable in the history of England,
as seeing the abnormal growth and consequent explosion
of the greatest swindle of comparatively modem times, and
one of the most colossal frauds of any time, the South Sea
Scheme, which has been best known since as the South Sea
Bubble. lis story has been told so often, and in so many
ways, thai it is hardly necessary to dwell upon it here ;
but as, though nearly every one has heard of the scheme,
there are but few who know anything about it, we may as
well give once again a short resume of its business opera-
tions. It was started by Harley in 171 1, with the view
of paying off the floating national debt, which at that time
amounted to about ;£'io,ooo,ooo. A contemporary writer
says : ** TTiis debt was taken up by a number of eminent
merchants, to whom the Government agreed to guarantee
for a certain period the annua! payment of ;£6oo,ooo
(being six per cent interest), a sum which was to be
obtained by rendering permanent a number of import
duties. The monopoly of the trade to the South Seas was
also secured to these merchants, who were accordingly
incorporated as the * South Sea Company,* and at once
rose to a high |}osition in the mercantile world. The
wondrousiy extravagant ideas then current respecting the
riches of the South American continent were carefully
fostered and encouraged by the Company, who also took
care to spread the belief that Spain was prepared, on certain
liberal conditions, to admit them to a considerable share
of its South American trade ; and as a necessary con-
sequence, a general avidity to |>artake in the profits of
this most lucrative speculation sprang up in the public
mind. It may be well to remark in this place, that the
Company's trading projects had no other result tlian a
single voyage of one ship in 1717, and that its prominence
in Brilisli history is due entirely to its existence as a purely
monetary corporation. Notwithstanding the absence of
any 8}'niptom5 of its canning out its great trading scheme,
t6S
niSTORY OF ADVERTISING,
ine
the Company had obtained a firm hold on popular favour,
and its shares rose day by day ; and even when the out
break of war with Spain in 1718 deprived the most sanguine
of the sUghtest liope of sharing in the treasures of the Soui
Seas, the Company continued to flourish. Far from bei
alarmed at the expected and impending failure of a simil.
project — the Mississippi Scheme — the South Sea Company
believed sincerely in the feasibility of Law's Scheme, and re-
solved to avoid what they considered as his errors. Trust-
ing to the possibility of pushing credit to its utmost exten
without danger, they proposed, :n the spring of 1720, t
take upon themselves the whole national debt (at th
time ;^30,98i,7i2) on being guaranteed 5 per cent.
annum for seven and a half years, at the end of which timq
the debt might be redeemed if the Government chose, an
the interest reduced to 4 per cent. The directors of the
hank of England, jealous of tiie prospective benefit an
influence which would thus accrue to the South Sea Co:
pany, submitted to Government a counter-proposal ; bui
the more dazzling nature of their rival's offer secured it
acceptance by Parliament — in the Commons by 172 to 55J
and (April 7) in the Lords by 83 to 17; Sir Robert
VValpole in the former, and Lords North and Grey, the
Duke of Uliarton and Earl Cowper in the latter, in vain
protesting against it as involving inevitable ruin. During
the passing of their bill, the Company's stock rose steadil
to 330 on April 7,* falling to 290 on the following da
* On Jauuary I, 1720, the Daily Courant^ and olher papers, quot
South Sea Slock at 127J, i2S|, to 12S. Ilank 150). India 2cx>, 200J
to 200. The quotation for Thursday, April 7 (in Daily P<>st, Friday,"
April 8), is, ** Yesterday South Sea Stock was 314.310,311,309, 3095,
to 310. Bank 145. India 223." On the 27tli May it was 555, and^d
Bank was 205 {Past Boy, May 28). It then fell a little, but in thJIH
Daiiy Couraul ofjunc 2 it is quoted at 610 to 760, Bank 210 to 22<\^^
India 290 to 300. The Daily Post of Wednesday, June S, conlntiu
the following puff for the scheme : *' *Tis said tlial the South S<
Company being wiUing^ to have all the Annuities subscribed to lh(
EARL y PART OF EIGHTEENTH CENTUR K 169
TTp till this dale the scheme had been honestly promoted ;
but now, seeing before them the prospect of speedily
amassing abundant wealth, the directors threw aside all
scruples, and made use of every effective means at their
command, honest or dishonest, to keep up the factitious
value of the stock. Their 2ealous endeavours were crowned
with success; the shares were quoted at 550 on May 28,
and 890 on June i. A general impression having by this
time gained ground that the stock had reached its maxi-
mum, so many holders rushed to reaHse that the price fell
to 630 on June 3. As this decline did not suit the jjersonal
interests of the directors, they sent agents to buy up eagerly;
and on the evening of June 3, 750 was the quoted price.
This and similar artifices were employed as required, and
had the effect of ultimately raising the shares to 1000 in
the beginning of August, when the chairman of the Com-
pany and some of the principal directors sold out On
this becoming known, a widespread uneasiness seized the
holders of stock ; every one was eager to part with his
shares, and on September 12 they fell to 400, in spite of all
the attempts of the directors to bolster up the Company's
credit. The consternation of those who had been either
unable or unwilling to part with their scrip was now
extreme; many capitalists absconded, either to avoid
Stock, now ofTcr forty-five years' purchase for those which have not
ycl I>ccn bought in." And again : " Tlic Annuities which have been
subscribed iiUo ihe South Sea Stock arc risen to a very great height,
fto that what would forntcny sell but forj^i5oo, is now woilhj^Sooo."
In ihe /Iffj/ ^tyi of June 23-25, we find this: "Yesterday South Sea
Stock was for the opening of the Book I too. 1st Subscr. 565, 2<1
Sabscr. 610, 3rd Snbscr. 20a. Hank 2G5. East India 440." On Friday,
June 24,the/?rMV>' /W/says, " We bear that South Sea Stock was sold
yc&terday al 1000 per cent., and great wagers arc laid that it will be
currcoUy sold Lwfore the ojjening of the Books at 1200 per cent,
exclusive of the Dividend." Ii is several times after this quoted at
Iioo, but never over. These compilations show that a higher rate was
attained by the stock than is given in the article quoted above, or Is
Ecncrally IwIievetL
m^
4B.
170
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
ruinous baukruptcy, or to secure iheir ill-gotten gains, am
the Government became seriously alanned at the cxcitedl
state of public feeling. Attempts were made to prevail qxl\
the Bank to come to the rescue by circulating sora<
millions of Company's bonds; but as the shares still d<
clined, and tlie Company's chief cashiers, the Sword BIad«
Company, now stopped payment, the Bank refused t<
entertain the proposal. The country was now wound a]
to a most alarming pitch of excitement ; the punishment
the fraudulent directors was clamorously demanded, an<
Parliament was hastily summoned (December 8) to di
liberate on the best means of mitigating this great calamity.^
Both Houses proved, however, to be in as impetuous
mood as the public ; and in spite of the moderate counsel
of Walpolc, it was resolved (December 9) to punish th«
authors of the national distresses, though hitherto no fraudt
lent acts had been proved against ihcm. An cxaminatioi
of the proceedings of the Company was at once coi
menced ; and on Walpole's proposal nine millions of Soutl
Sea bonds were taken up by the Bank, and a similar araouni
by the East India Company. The officials of the Coi
pany were forbidden to leave the kingdom for tweli
months, or to dispose of any of their property or effect!
"Ultimately various schemes, involving the deepest fraud an<
villany, were discovered to have been secretly concocte(
and carried out by the directors ; and it was proved thai
the Earl of Sunderland, the Duchess of Kendal, the CountC!
Platen and her two nieces, Mr Craggs. M.P., the Company'
secretar)', Mr Charles Stanhope, a secretary of the Trcasuryy
and the Sword Blade Company, had been bribed to promote'
the Company's bill in Parliament by a present of ^^i 70,000
of South Sea stock. The total amount of fictitious stock
created for this and similar purposes was ^1,260,000,
nearly one-half of which had been disposed of. Equally
flagrant iniquity in the allocation of shares was discovcredi
in which, among others, Mr Atslabie, the Chaucellor oi
BARL y PA JIT OF EIGHTEENTH CENTUR K 1 71
Exchequer, was implicated. Of these offenders, Mr Stan-
hope and the Earl of Sunderland were acquitted through
the unworthy partiality of the Parliament ; but Mr Aislabie,
and the other directors who were members of the House of
Commons, were expelled \ most of the directors were
discovered, and all of them suffered confiscation of their
possessions. The chairman was allowed to retain only
j^5ooo out of jf 183,000, and others in proportion to their
share in the fraudulent transactions of the Company. At
the end of 1720, it being found that ^13,300,000 of real
stock belonged to the Company, ;^8,ooo,ooo of this was
taken and divided among the losers, giving them a dividend
of 33^ per cent. ; and by other schemes of adjustment the
pressure was so fairly and wisely distributed, that the
excitement gradually subsided." It will thus be seen that
the South Sea Bubble was, after all, not more disastrous in
its effects than many modern and comparatively unknown
speculations.
It is singular that the South Sea Pmbblc led to little —
almost nothing — in the way of advertisements. When we
think of the columns which now herald the advent of any
new company, or for the matter of that, any new idea of an
old company, or any fresh specific or article of clothing, it
seems strange that at a time when the art of advertising was
fast becoming fashionable, no invitations to subscribe were
published in any of the daily or weekly papers that then
existed. Just before the consent of Parliament was ob-
tained we find one or two stray advertisements certainly,
but they have no official status, as may be judged by this,
which is from the Post Boy, April 2-5, 1720 : —
4,*4. Some Calculations relating to the Proposals made by the South
Sea Company and the Bank of England, to the Hou.sc of Commons ;
Showing the loss to the New Sul>scri)xT>. at the several Kates in the
said Computations mcntion'd ; and the Gain which will thereby accrue
to the Proprietors of the Old South Sea Slock. By a Member of the
House of Commons. Sold by J. Morphcw near Stationers Hall.
172 HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
Pr. ts. Where may be obtained Mr. Hutchison's Answer to Mr.
Crookahank'i Seasonable Remarks.
In the Daily Conrani of April 4 is also the following,,
which shows the immense amount of the stock posscsse(
by private individuals. The reward offered for the recovei
of the warrant seems ridiculously small, let its value b<
what it might to the finder: —
Lost or mislaid, a South Sea Dividend Warrant No. 1343 dated th«'
■^ 25th of February last, made out to John Powell Ewj. for 630/
being for his Half Years Dividend on 31,000/ stock due the 35th of
December last. If offered in Payment or oihcrwi&e please to stop it
and give Notice to Mr Robert Harris at tlie South Sea House, and
you shall receive los Reward, it not being endorsed by tlie said Joho
Powell Esq. is of no use but to the Owner, Payment being Stopt.
The only official notification in reference to the Bubble
is found in the London Gazfttf^ " published by authority,*
of April 5-9, 1720. It is the commencement of a list of
Acts passed by the King, and runs thus : —
WtsimiHSter^ Af^ril 7.
HTS Majesty came this Day to the House of Peers, and being in
hii Royal Rol>es seated on the Throne with the usual Solem-
nity, Sir William Saundcrson, Gcntlcman-Ushcr of the Black
Rod, was sent with a Message from His Majesty to the House of
Commons, commanding their Attendance in the House of Peera ; the
Commons being come thither accordingly. His Majesty waa pleased to
give the Royal Assent to
Ah Act for ambling tfu South Sea Company to incnase their present
Capital Stock and Fund^ by redeeming such ptiblick Debts and Incum-
hranees as are therein menthurd, and for raising Alunry for lessctttng
several of the public k Debts and Incumbrances^ and for calling iw the
presftit Exchequer Bills remaining uncanceUed, and for making fartJk
new Bilh m lieu thereof to be circulated and exchanged upon Demand
or near the Fxcheifuer.
H
The advertisement then goes on to state what other Acts
received the royal assent, but with none of theni have we
anything to do. In the Post Boy of June 25-28 there is a
notice of a contract being lost, which runs thus : —
EARL y PAR T OF EIGHTEENTH CENTUR Y. 1 73
^TTIfereas a Contract for the ITclivcry of South Sea Stock made
' ' between WillLim Byard Grey, E^q. and Mr. William Fcrroar
is cni&Iaid or dropi : If the Pcrsrm who ia possess 'd of it will bring
it to ihc Wheat-Sheaf ia Warwick-Lane, he shall have Tea Guineas
Reward, and no Quci>tioiu osk'd.
And in the issue of the same paper for June 30-JuIy 1
we find this, which refers to tlie Company on which ail the
South Sea directors' orders were made payable :—
"C*Ound at the South Sea House Saturday the lyih of June a Sword-
■^ Blade Company's Note. If the Person ihat lost it will apply to
Mr. Colston's, a Toy Shop at the Flouxr dc-Lucc against the KKcItange
in Comhill, and describe the said Note shall have it rctum'dj paymg
the Ctiaqfc of the Advertisement.
These are, however, only incidental advertisements, which
might have occurred had the Company been anything but
that which it was ; and so we have only to remark on the
peculiar quietness with which all rigging operations were
managed in those days. One of the paragraphs quoted
in a note a short distance back will, however, account for
the fact that advertisements were not found in the usual
places.
The growth of the disgusting system which permitted of
public combats between women is exhibited in several
advertisements of 1722, the most noticeable among them
being one in which a challenge and reply are published as
inducements to the public to disburse their cash and wit-
ness a spectacle which must have made many a strongman
«ick:—
CHALLENGE.— I. Elizabeth Wilkinson, of ClerkcnwcII, having
had some words with Hannah Hylicld, and requiring satisfaction,
do invite her to meet me upun the stage, and box me for three guineas;
each woman holding half a crown in each hand, and the iwA wumaa
that drops the money to loie the battle.
Answer. — I, Hannah Hyficld, of Newgate Market, hearing of the
resoluteness of EHzabcth Wilkinson, will not fail, Goti willing^ to give
her more blows than words, desiring home blows, and from her no
hvottr J she may expect a good ilmmping I
"74
mSTOR Y OF ADVERTISING.
The
precaution taken with the half-crowns to keep
hands clenched and so prevent scratching, shows that e
these degraded creatures had not quite forgotten the pe<
liarities of the sex. And that there is piety in pugih'sm —
even of this kind — is proved by the admittance that tb^^
Deity had to give his consent to " the ladies' battle." Bt^|
Mesdames Wilkinson and Hyfield sink into insignificance
when compared with the heroines of the following, which is
cut from the Daily Post of July 17, 1 7 2 S : —
AT Mr. Stoket Ampkith^itre in Islington Road, this present Monday,
•**- being the 7 of October, will be a complete Boxing Match by
the two following Championcsscs : — Whereas I, Ann Field, of Stoke
Ncwington, a&s-drivcr, well known for my abilities in boxing in my o
defence wherever it happened in my way, having been afTroitteO by M
Stokes, styled the European Championcss, do fairly invite her to a tri
of the be&t skill in lK>xing for 10 pounds, fair ri&e and fall ; and qneati
not but to give her such proofs of my judgment that shall oblige her
acknowledge me Champiouess of the Stage, to the entire satis&clion
all my friends.
I, Elizabeth Stokes, of the City of London, have not fought in t
way since I fought the famous boAng woman of UillingF^gatc 29 minut
and gained a complele victory (which is six years ago] ; but aa t
famous Stoke Newington ass-woman dares me to fight her for the t
pounds, I do assure her I will not fail meeling her for the said sura,
and doubt not that the blows which I shall present her with will be
more difiicuU for her to digest, tlian any she ever gave her asses. Note.
— A man known by the name of Rugged and Tuff, challenges the best
man of Stoke Newington to fight him for one guinea to what sum ihey
please to venture. jV./?. — Attendance will be given at one, and the
encounter to begin at four precisely. There will be the diversion of
cudgel -playing as usual.
Pugilism was evidently a much valued accomplishme
among the lower-class ladies in 1728, and there is no dou
that Mrs Stokes and Mrs Field were considered ve
estimable persons as well as great athletes in their respec-
tive circles. There is, moreover, a suspicion of humour
about the reference to the asses in the reply of Mrs Stokes.
In the happily-named Rugged and Tuflf we see the fore-
I
A
' an
be
sa
en
\AJPL Y PART OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, 175
ninner of that line of champions of the ring which, com-
mencing witli Figg and Broughton, ran unbroken up to
comparatively modem days. Other advertisements about
Uiis period relate to cockmalches and mains, sometimes
ecified to ** last the week," to bull-baiting in its ordinary
and sometimes in it3 more cruel form of dressing up the
beasts with fireworks, so as to excite both them and the
savage dogs to their utmost. Perhaps brutality was never
so rampantf or affected so many phases of society as it did
the first half of the eighteenth century. Slavery was
considered a heaven-born institution, not alone as regards
coloured races, for expeditions to the Plantations went on
merrily and afforded excellent opportunities for the disposal
of any one who happened to make himself objectionable
by word or deed, or even by his very existence. The
wicked uncle with an eye on the family property had a very
good time then, and the rightful heir was often doomed to
a slavery almost worse than death. Apropos of slavery, we
may as well quote a very short advertisement which shows
how the home trade flourished in 1728. It is from the
Daiiy Journal of September 28 : —
TO be sold, a Negro boy, aged eleven years. Enquire of the Virginia
, Coffee-house in ThreadneetUe street, behind llic Royal Exchange.
^B Negroes had in T72S become quite common here, and
Hpad pushed out their predecessors, the Moors and Asiatics,
PSirho formerly held submissive servitude. This was pro-
bably owing to the nefarious traffic commenced in 16S0 by
Hawkins, which in little more than a hundred years caused
the departure from their African homes and the transplant-
ing in Jatnaica alone of 910,000 negroes, to say nothing
of those who died on tlie voyage, or who found their way
to En.^land and other countries.
d
CHAPTER IX
MIDDLE OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY,
THE further we advance into the years which mark the
Hanoverian succession, the more profligate, reckless,
and cruel do the people seem to become. Public exhibi-
tions of the most disgusting character are every day adver-
tised ; ruffians and swaslibucklers abound, and are ready to
do anything for a consideration ; animals are tortured at
set periods i'or the delectation of the multitude ; and we sec
verified, by means of the notices in the papers, the pecu-
liarities wliich Hogarth seized and made immortal, and
which so many squeamish people consider to be overdrawn
nowadays. Assignations of the most immoral character are
openly advertised, and men of the time may well have
attempted lo ignore the existence of female virtue. A
recent writer, commenting on this state of affairs, says, in
reference to the latter class of shameless advertisements ;
•' We are far from saying tliat sucli matters are not managed
now through the medium of advertisements, for they are,
but in how mucli more carefully concealed a manner? The
perfect contempt of public opinion, or rather the public
acquiescence in such infringements of the moral law which
it exhibits, proves the general state of morality more than
the infringements themselves, which obtain more or less at
all times. Two of the causes which led to this low tone of
manners with respect to women were doubtless the detest-
able profligacy of the courts of the two first Georges, and
the very defective condition of the existing marriage law.
J
MIDDLE OF EICIITEEN77r CENTURY.
177
'illiam and Mary-, and Anne, had, by their decorous, not
say frigid lives, redeemed ihe crown, and in some mca-
ire the aristocraoy, from the vices of the Restoration.
Jrown, court, and quality, however, fell into a still worse
lough on the accession of the Hanoverian king, who soiled
afresh the rising tone of public life by his scandalous con-
nection with the Duchess of Kendal and the Countess of
Darlington; whilst his son and successor was absolutely
abetted in his vicious courses by his own queen, who pro-
moted his commerce with his two mistresses, the Countesses
of Suffolk and Yarmouth. The degrading influence of the
royal manners was well seconded by tlie condition of the
law. Keith's Chapel in Mayfafr, and that at the Fleet, were
the Gretna Greens of the age, where children could get
married at any lime of the day or night for a cou)>le of
►crowns. It was said at the time that at the former chapel
six thousand persons were annually married in this offhand
[way; the youngest of the beautiful Miss Gunnings was
rdded to the Duke of Hamilton at twelve o'clock at night,
ith a ring off the bed-curtain, at this very 'marriage-shop.*
le fruits of such unions may be imagined. The easy way
'in which the marriage bond was worn and broken through,
is clearly indicated by the advertisements which absolutely
crowd the public journals, from the accession of the house
of Brunswick up to the time of the third George, of hus-
bands warning the public not to trust their runaway wives."
It must not be imagined, though, that wives were the only
sinners, or that vice was confined to any particular and
exclusive class. It was tlie luxury of all, and according
to their opportunities all enjoyed it.
About this time Fleet marriages, and the scandals con-
iquent upon them, were in full swing. In a number of the
'fevt/yyiji/rwa/ this statement is made : "From an inspec-
Bon into the several registers for marriages kept at the
;veral alehouses, brandy-shops, &c., within the Rules of
the Fleet Prison, we find no less than thirty-two couples
M
178
HISTORY OF ADVER TISING.
I
joined together from Monday to Thursday last without
licences, contrary to an express Act of Parliament against
clandestine marriages, that lays a severe fine of ^200 on
the minister so offending, and £^100 each on the persons
so married in contradiction to the said statute. Several of
the above-named brandy-men and victuallers keep clergy-
men in their houses at 20s. per week, hit or miss ; but it is
reported that one there will stoop to no such low conditions,
hut makes at least ^500 per annum of Divinity jobs after
that manner." A fair specimen of the kind of adverlu
inent published by these gentlemen is this :—
m3P
GR.— At the True Chapel, at the old Red Hand and Mitre,
• doors up Fleet I^nc, and next door to the White Swan,
mges are perfonned by authority by the Rev. Mr. Symson, educated
flt the University of Cambridge, and late chaplain to the Earl of
Rothes.
N,B* — "Without imposition.
i
A curious phase of the dangers of the streets is found
a narralive published in the Grub Sired Journal of 1735,
which is well worth reproducing: "Since midsummer last
a young lady of birlh and fortune was deluded and forced
from her friends, and by the assistance of a wrynccked
swearing parson, married to an atheistical wretch, whose
life is a continued practice of all manner of vice and de-
bauchery. And since the ruin of my relative, another lady
of my acquaintance had like to have been trepanned in the
following manner : This lady had appointed to meet 1
gentlewoman at the Old Playhouse in Drury Lane, but
extraordinajy business prevented her coming. Being alone
when the play was done, she bade a boy call a coach for
the city. One dressed like a gentleman helps her into it,
and jumps in after her. * Madam,* says he, ' this coach was
called for me, and since the weather is so bad, and there is
other, I beg leave to bear you company j I am going
into tl>c City, and will set you down wherever you please.*
MIDDLE OF EIGHTEENTH CEKTURY
'79
The lady begged to be excused, but he bade the coachman
k drive on. Being come to I.udgate Hill, he lold her his
sister, who wailed his coming but five doors up the court,
Irould go with her in two minutes. He went, and returned
trith his pretended sister, who asked her to step in one
minute, and she would wait upon her in the coach. The
b poor lady foolishly followed her into the house, when
HiDstantly the sister vanished, and a tawny fellow in a black
" coat and a black wig appeared. * Madam, you are come
in good time, the doctor was just agoing 1' ' The doctor !'
says she, terribly frighted, fearing it was a madhouse ; * what
has the doctor to do with me?* * To marry you to that
gentleman. The doctor has waited for you these three
hours, and will be paid by you or that gentleman before
you go!' 'That gentleman/ says she, recovering herself,
* is worthy a better fortune than mine;' and begged hard
to be gone. But Doctor Wryneck swore she should be
married ; or if she would not he would still have his fee,
and register the marriage for that night. The lady finding
she could not escape without money or a pledge, told them
she liked the gentleman so well she would certainly meet
him to-morrow night, and gave them a ring as a pledge,
*which,' says she, *w3s my mother's gift on her deathbed,
enjoining that, if ever I married, it should be my wedding
ring;' by which cunning contrivance she was delivered from
the black doctor and his tawny crew." Pennant, in his
*'Some Account of London," says : " In walking along the
street in my youth, on the side next the prison, I have often
en templed by the question, * Sir, will you be pleased to
k in and be married ? ' Along this most lawless space
was hung up the frequent sign of a male and female hand
enjoined, with * Marriages performed within' written beneatiL
A dirty fcUow invited you in. The parson was seen walk-
^_ing before his shop; a squalid, prolligate figure, clad in a
^Blattered plaid nightgown, with a fiery face, and ready to
^^Couple you for a dram of gin or a roll of tobacco." Some
iSo
mSTOR y OF ADVERTISIXC.
■
of the notes found in the registers purchased by Govei
meat in iSat, and deposited with the Registrar of the
sistory Court of London, are ver)- amusing. Here are oi
or X:9!o extracts: "June lo, 1729. John Nelson, of yc"
parish of St George, Hanover, batchelor and gardener,
and Mary Barnes, of ye same, sp. married. Cer. dated 5
November 1727, to please their parents." "1742, May
24. — A soldier brought a barber lo the Cock, who I think
said his name was James, barber by trade, was in part mar-
ried to Elizabeth : they said ihey were married enough."
" A coachman came, and was half married, and would givi^|
but 3s. 6d., and went off." "Edward and Elizabct^^
were married, and would not let me know their
names." A popular error was current at this time, that if a
newly-married woman ran across the street with nothing on
but her shift, she would free her husband from all liability
as to her debts. More than once the following, or words
akin to it, is found : "The woman ran across Ludgate Hill
in her shift" Riotous persons often terrified these parsons,
Buch memoranda as the following occurring now and_
again : " Had a noise for four hours about the money.
"Married at a barber's shop one Kerrils. for half a guinea?
after which it was extorted out of my pocket, and for fear
of my life delivered." " Harrowson swore most bitterlj
and was pleased to say that he was fully determined to kil
the minister that married him. He came from GravescD(
and was sober." And so on through infinite variety. Bi
to return to our advertisements.
Though advertisements were by no means scarce about'
this time, the imposition of the duly still told heavily with
regard to the regular business community, for in regular
trade few things were advertised with the exception
books and quack medicines, all other commercial matt(
being disposed of by means of agents who advertised in
general manner, of which the following, from the Lorn
Journal of February 7, 1730, is a fair specimen : —
I^IDDLE OF EIGIITUENTH CES7UKY,
iSi
HE Ptibiu Gernral Correspondence 0/ affairs, /pr Imprirvlng
MfneVt Trade and Ettatrs, He.
Some Persons want to Buy Estates held by Lease from any
Biihop, Dean nnd Clupter| or College, cither for Lives or Term of
Years.
A Person desires to dispose of considerable Sums of Money, in
•ach manner as will bring him in the best interest, the* liable to some
vn certainty.
A Rer. Clt-rgjrraan is willing to Exchange a Rectory of about
/350 a year, in a pleasant cheap country, for a Rectory in or near
Loudon, iho' of 1cm value.
Persons who want to raise a considerable sum of money on Estates,
Frexhold or For Life, may be served therein, and in such a manner
u not to be obliged to rcpaymeiU, if they do not see fit.
Estates which some Pmons vranl to Buy.
Some Freehold Lands not far ftom Hertford. — An Estate from ^200
to ttbout;^500 a year, within 60 miles of London. — A lar^c Estate ia
MUdlesex or Hertfordshire. — A good Farm in Sussex or Surrey. — And
Icveral persons want to bay and some to hire olher estates.
Estates which some Persons ivant to SELL.
Sereral good Houses in and about London, both Freehold and
l^easchold. — A very good house for a Genllcman, pleasantly situated
■Mr Bury, with good gardens, etc. and some e^tnie in land. — Several
louses fit for gentlemen in the country, within 20 miles of London,
iomc Willi and some without land.— And several persons want to sell,
and w>me to let other estates.
The Particuiars -will he giien by Mr Themas Rogers, Agent for per-
who tvant any such buiiticss fo Ar doNe. He answers letters Post-
id, and advettises if dtsireJ^ not olhtru<isf, All at his own ch.ii^e
n^ suecessful.
He gives Attendance as undennentioned:
Daily except Saturdays from 4 to 6 o'clocl( at home in Essex Street,
Ihcn at Rainbow Coflcc-house, by the Temple.
At 13 > Tuesday at Torn'* Coffee-house, by the Exchange.
oVloclc t Thursday at Will's CofTee-liouse, near Wiutehali^ ^^J
And on sending for he will go to persona near. ^^^|
B The next advertisement which offers itself for specml
notice is of a somewhat ludicrous character, and shows into
what straits a man may get by means of a highly-developed
imagination and an indiscreet tongue. It runs thus : —
iSa HISTORY OF ADVERJJSING.
Bristol^ Jixnuaiy 19. J73|.
ViniEREAS on or about the loih day of November Ust I did
' * say in the Presence of Seveial People, That Anjhonv Coller,
living at the Sign of the Ship and Dove in the Pithay in Uristd, w(
svnt to Newgale for putting Live Toads in his Beer, in order to fil
it ; I do solemnly declare, That I never knew any such Thing to hai
been done by the said Collcr nor do I believe he was ever guilty
the aforesaid or any like Practice; I am therefore heartily sorry ffl
what I have said and hereby ask Pardon for the same of the aboi
said Pcraon, who, I fcaf, has been greatly injur'd by the unguatxU
Tung\ie of Joseph Robins.
To this curious confession, which was evidently extorted
from the imaginative but timid Joseph, four witnesses ap-
pended their names. The next gentlemaa to whom our
attention is directed was still more unfortunate than MoJ
Rubins, for he received pmiishment without having conv^|
mittcd any particular otTence. He, however, seems to have
been made of very different mettle from the Bristol man, for
he is anxious to try his chances on better terms with those
who assaulted him. The advertisement is from the Daiiy
Post of January 23, 1739-40 : —
\ 1 rilEREAS on Saturday the I2th instant between six and seven
' * night, a gentleman coming along the north side of Lincol
Inn fields was set upon by three persons unknown and recciv'd several
blo%vs before he conid defend himself, upon a presumption, as they
that he was the author of a Satire call'd '*lhc Satirist." This is to i
form lliem that ihey are greatly mistaken, and that the insulted pe:
is neither the author uf that Satire nor of any Satire or Poem whatcvci
nor knows what the said Satire contains : and therefore has reason t
expect, if they arc Gcnllcmcn, that ihey will not refuse him a meeting,
by a line to A- Z., to be left at llic Bar of Dick's CofTcc House. Tempi
Bar, in order to make him such atonement as shall be judged rcasoi
able by the friend* on each side ; otherwise he is ready to give any o
of them, singly, the sati)ifaclion of a Gentleman, when and wherev
^^_^ thoU be appointed, so as he may not have to deal with Numbers.
^^r A. Z. must have been possessed of a considerable amou
r of faith if he believed that the rufflers who set upon him u
F awatcs would consent either to expose themselves, or to gi
I what he and others called, in a thoughtless manner, ** the sal
]
MIDDLE OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, 183
fiiction of a gentleman.** It must have been rare satisfaction
■t any time to be run through the body or sliot through the
head, after having been insulted or injured. In the London
Daiiy Post and Gentrai AdvertiseTy^hor^Xy dSltx this (February
5i i739~4o}> ^s ^^ advertisement which looks suspiciously
like a hoax, unless, indeed, it was believed at the time that
one swallow would make a summer. As the advertiser
was probably devoted to the agricultural interest, this is a
not unlikely solution of the problem, more especially as a
caged bird would naturally not be expected to possess the
desired power : —
TF any person will deliver a Swallow, Swift (commonly called a
* Jack Squeeler) or Martin, alive to Mr Thomas Mcysey, at Hewd-
ley in Worcestershire, before the 22d day of this instant Fcbniary, he
doll have Ten Guineas Reward paid liiin, and all reasonable charges
allowed him for his journey by the said Thomas Meyscy : Or if any
person will deliver either of the said birds to Mr John Tcrrins, Dis-
tiller, in Butcher Row, London, soon enough to send it to the said
Thomas Meysey at Bewdley l>eforc ihe 22d Instant rcbruary, and the
bird shall be alive when delivered, or come to live after it is delivered
to the said Thomas Meyscy, he shall have Ten Guineas Reward paid
bim, and all reasonable charges allowed him by the said John Perrlns.
These birds are oftentimes found in the clifts in great rocks, old
diimncys, and old houses, seemingly dead j but when they arc put
.before a fire, they will come to life.
//.B. — It must not be a Swallow, Swift or Martin that has been kept
io a cage.
There must have been much capturing of small birds, and
many may have been roasted alive in attempts to preserve
them for the benefit of Thomas Meysey. It certainly does
appear as if about this time humour was so rife that it had
to find vent in all sorts of strange advertisements, and the
quacks were not slow to follow the lead thus set, as is shown
by the exercising swindle which follows, and which certainly
must have exercised the minds of many who read it at the
time. It appears in the same paper as the foregoing, on
March 7, 1739-40. (It is almost time by March to know
what year one is in.)
x84
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
I
r
FULLER on Exercise,
(.4 Book tvorth reading )
^TOTHING ought to be thought rUliculaus that caa aflbrd i
■^ ^ ease or procure health. A very worthy gentleman not long ftgA
had such an odd sort of a cholick, that he found nothing would relieve
him 50 much as lying with his head downwards; which posture proVi
always so advantageous that he had a fr«Tnc made to whtdi he himsc!
was fastened with llolis, and then was turned head downwards, aft
vhich manner he hung till the pain went off. 1 hope none will
that this was unbecoming a grave and wise man, to make use of such
odd means to get rid of an unsiipportable pain. If people would but
abstract the benefit got by exercise from tlie means by which it is got,
ihey would Rct a great value upon it, if some of the advantages accruing
frum exercise were to be procured by any other medicine, nothing in
the world would be in more esteem than that Medicine.
This is to answer some olijections to the book of tlic Cliamber Hoi
(for exercise) invented by Henry Marsh, in Oement's Inn Passage,
Clare Market ; who, it is well known, has had the honour to serve
tome persons of the greatest distinction in the Kingdom ; and he
bum1>ly begs the favour of Ladies and Gentlemen to try both tlie
Chamber Horses, which is the only sure way of having ihe beat Thii
machine may be of great service to children.
Mr Marsh may have been clever at making horses for.
chamber use, but he doesn't seem to have understood argu
ment much ; for whatever pleasure there may be in bolt-
ing oneself on to a board, and then standing on oiie*s head,
it isn't much in the way of exercise, even though Fuller may
have been at the bottom of it. We beg his pardon on it
Still, the idea is ingenious, and in a population, the majority
of which, we are informed, consists mainly of fools, would
succeed now. From this same Lofuion Daily Post and*
General Adtferiiser, which is full of strange and startling
announcements, we take another advertisement, that is
likely to arouse the attention and excite the envy of all who
nowadays suffer from those dwellers in tents and other forms
of bedsteads, the " mahogany flats " or Norfolk Howards,
who are particularly rapacious in lodgings which are let after
a long temi of vacancy. 'I'liis knowledge is the result of
actual experience. The date is March 15, 1740; —
:in i
i
iflDDLE OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY,
MARY SOUTH ALL
Sttccestar to John Southall, tht first and only person thai ez'fr
■8s
fiund ^it tks nature of BuGCS, Author of the Tmitise of {host
ftttuifotts venomous fnjccts, pubHshed \otth the Approbation
{and for which he had the honour to rteeixte the ttnanimouj
Thankj) of the Royal Society,
Gives Notice,
THAT since his decease she hoih followed the same business, and*
lives at the hoase of Mrs Mary Roundhftll, in Uearlane, Christ
Church I^'ari&h, Suuth^v-ar1c. Suc)i qualUy and gentry as are troubled
with buij'gs, and arc desirous to be kept free from those vermin, may
IcDow, on sending their commands to her lodgings aforesaid^ when she
will agree with them on easy terms, and at the first sight will justly tell
ihrni which of their beds arc infested, &c., and which are free, and what
I it the expense of clearing the infested ones, never putting any one to
Store exiicnsc than necessary.
Persons who cannot affnrd to pay her price, and is willing to destroy
theni themselves, may by sending notice to her phice of abode afore-
litid, be furnish'd with the Non Tareil Li<juok, &c. &c.
Bugs are said to have been very little if at all known in
the days of our ancestors. It is indeed affirmed in that
valuable addition to zooIo^tt, Southall's "Treatise of Bii^s"
'(London, 1730, 8vo), referred to in the a<lvertisement just
quoted, that this insect was scarcely known in England be-
fore the year 1670, when it was imported among the timber
used in rebuilding the city of London after the fire of 1666.
That it was, however, known much earlier is not to be
doubted, though probably it was far less common than at
present, since Dr Thomas ^tufTet, in the "Tlieatrum Insec-
torum," informs us that Dr Penny, one of the early compilers
of that history of insects, relates his having been sent for in
great haste to Mortlake in Surrey, to visit two noble ladies
who imagined themselves seized with symptoms of the plague;
but on Penny's demonstrating to them the true cause of
their complaint — viz., having been bitten by those insects,
and even detecting them in their presence — the whole affair
was turned into a jest. This was in the year 1583. It
at
on
iS6 HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
is a somewhat remarVable fact, well known to those whose
misfortunes subject them to contiguity witli these highly-
scented bloodsuckers, that within the past few years bug?
have altered considerably. The okl, nearly round-belliei
and possibly jovial fellow, has given way to a long danger-
ous creature who is known to experts as the " omnibus bug,'
not so much on account of his impartiality as because
his shape. It is believed by some that this change is the
result of bugs being discontented with their position, an
their natural (and laudable) attempt to become somethin
else in accordance with scientific theory; but we fancy that
the true reason of this change is that foreign bugs have
been imported in large numbers among cargoes, and noi
infrequently about passengers, and that the original settle
are being gradually exterminated in a manner similar to that
which led to tlie extirpation of the black rat in this country,
There is yet another theory with regard to the change which
it would be unfair to pass over. It is that the bugs ha
altered — it is admitted on all sides that the alteration fi
exhibited itself at the East End of London — in consequen
of feeding on mixed and barbarous races about Ratclifii
Highway and other dock purlieus. Any one who pays hi
money for this book is at liberty to take his choice
hypotheses, but we can assure him that the change
undoubtedly matter of fact.
The -next specimen taken is of a literary turn, and appe
in the Champion, or the Evening Athirtiser, of January a,
1741. From it we may judge of the number of burlesques
and travesties which, some large, some small, were called
into existence by the publication of what many consider to
be Richardson's masteqViece. Whatever rank "Pamela"
may hold as compared with "Clarissa Harlowe," "Sir
Charles Grandison," and other works by the same author,
it is very little regarded now, while one of the books to
which it gave rise is now a representative work of English
literature. Here is the literary advertisement of the day ;— ^S
I
MIDDLE OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, 187
TXtf Dt^ ispublisKd
(Price One Shilling and Sixpence),
AN APOLOGY for the LIFE of Mrs. Shamkla Andkews, in
*^ which the many notorious Falsehoods and Misrepresentations of a
book called Pamela are all cxpos'd and refuted ; and the matchless
Arts of that young Politician set in a true and just light. Together
with a fall Account of all that passed between her and Parson Arthur
WiUiami^ Those character is represented in a Manner somewhat differ-
CQt from what he bears in Patneia^ the whole being exact Copies of
nthentick lepers delivered to the Editor. Necessary to be had in all
Families. With a modem Dedication after the Manner of the Auticnts,
c^iecially Cicero. By Mr. Conny K^yber,
Printed for A. Dodd, at the Peacock without Temple Bar,
Where may be had^ Price i j.,
1. The Court Secret, a Melancholy Truth. Translated from the
Original Arabic. By an Adept in the Oriental Tongues.
Retnember that a Princes Secrets are Balm conciaVd ;
But Poison ifdiscovef'd. — Massinger.
AlsOy Price Ii.,
2. A Faithful Narrative of tlic Unfortunate Adventures of Charles
Oarttmi^ht^ M.D., who in his voyage to Jamaica was taken by a
Spanish Privateer, and carried into St Sebastians. His hard usage
there, and wonderful Escape from thence, &c. &c.
The " Court Secret" is possibly a satire on the evil doings
which were notorious in connection with high places at that
time, but which happily died out with their primary causes j
and the other book is doubtless one of those quaint stories
of slavery and adventure which form interesting reading
even to this day. Next we come upon an advertisement
which oflfers special temptation to the female mind, as it
combines the gratification of more than one ruling passion
of the time. It is from the General Advertiser of April 27,
1745 :—
The Interitretation of
Women's
DREAMS,
With the Prints of these Dreams finely Engraved.
If a Sm^ Woman Dreams the i8ih Dream, it tells when she*Il be
manied. If the igih, she may make her fortune. — The 35th tells what
children she '11 have. But if she dreams the 34th Dream
iSS
mSTORY OF ADVERTlSmC.
She may as well wed Farinelli, A!t om
^VitIl a curioQs print of Farinelli finely cngnive<l.
Plainly shewing lo open ami clear view, etc
The 42d Dream describes the man she 's !o have, and
The 33d tcUs a Wife nlso lo Look about He»,
The rest of the Dreams tell, etc etc. clc
To which is added A LOTTERY
For Husbands for young Maids,
With the Piints of these Husbands, Finely Enp^ved.
Not one Blank, but ALL Prir^, the Lfntvit of which
Is a very Hiindsome and Rich Yohh^ Gentleman thai keeps hU CoACI
— And if she draws of the 6th class of Ttcktts, she is then sure to
Mr Lady.
To be drawn as soon as full — And
Any Maiden that will put off Two Tickets, shall have Onb for
Sef/to put her in Fortune's way.
'Tis Given Graiis at Mr Burchell's Anodyne Keckla(
Shop in Long Acre, Culler and Toyshop. Tlie sign of the ca&e
knives next shop to Drury Lane,
Where on the counter it Joes Ready Lie
For All who 7/ step in_^r V /// Passing by.
This Mr Burchell of the Anodyne Necklace was
notorious quack of the time, to whom reference is m;
further on. It is patent to the most casual observer that
is able lo dispose his wares in the most temptin"^ mann*
and the book, as well as the tickets, must have had a vei
good sale indeed. Also portraying the tastes and pecu-
liarities of this portion of the eighteenth century is an
inflation taken from tlie Gmeral Adverfisfr in October
1745, which displays inordinate vanity on the part of the
writer, or, to put it in the mildest form, pecuharily of be-j
haviour on that of the lady to wliom he addresses himself :-^|
"liniF.REAS a lady last Saturday evening at the playhouse in
* • Drury Lane in one of ihc left-hand boxes, was observed lo take
particular notice of a gentleman who sat atxiut liie middle of the pit,
and as her company would be esteemed the greatest favour, she ii
humbly desired to send him directions, where and in what manner she
would be wailed upon, and direct the said letter to 1>c left for V. M. Z.
at Ihc Portugal Coffee house near the Exchange.
OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
his kind — many of the most barefaced, and
decidedly indelicate description — must have
source of income to the proprietors of news-
i)at professions of adoration for unknown
W whom were presumably married, else why
nent and strategy ? — did not fall off as years
;hown by the following, taken from a wealth
ind in the commencement of 174$. It is
9€nerai Advcrtistr : —
young lady was at Covent Garden playhouse last
rht, and received a blow with a square piece of wood
le lady be single and meet mc on Sunday at two
in St James's Park, or send a line directed for
ic*\ at the Sun Tavern at St Paul's Churchyard,
I shall wait on her, to inform her of something very
{c on honourable terms, her compliance will be a
:r moit obedient lervant.
igh somewhat rude in his style, and, judg-
scription of his adventure at the playhouse,
n his manners, is noticeable for stipulating
jfT shall be single. Let us hope that, if his
^honourable, he prospered in his suit. If he
rhaps he felt consoled by the knowledge that
a reward,
pVS. — The Bloods arc desired to meet together at
Bown by the name of the Sir Hugh Middlcton, near
fengion, which l\x Skcggs has procured for that day
rtainoicnt of those Gentlemen who agreed to meet at
Dinner will be on the Table puncttially at two o'clock.
iemcnt just given, which appears in the
ff/r for January' 13, 1748, is one of the rare
fthing relating to politics in advertisements.
["when political significance is given to an
when party dinners, of which the foregoing
are advertised. The Sir Hugh Middleton
ice, and a few years back, when Sadbr's
/f/S7V^y or ADVERTJSJNG,
Wells was llie only home for legitimacy in London,
much frequented by theatrical stars and the lesser li(
of the drama. Comparatively recently a music-hall has
been added to the establishment, which, however profitable
in a pecuniary sense, hardly adds to the reputation of thU
well-known and once suburban tavern. In another
liminary notice, which appears early in April, attention)
directed to another part of the town, and probably
another phase of political and party existence. It is,
the others, from the General Advertiser ^ which at the tim^
was a great medium. The two which follow it are
from the same paper ; —
thtt
%
time
1
HALF-MOON TAVERN, CHEAPSIDE.—S»ttirday next, the _
April, bcinp Ihc anniversary of the Glorious Battle of Catlodes,
the Stars will assemble in the M(X>n at six in the evening. Thereforei
the choice spirits are desired to make their appearance and fill up the joy.
It is not hard to determine the sentiments of those
who then called Culloden a glorious battle, though we
should think there are few nowadays who, whatever their
tastes and sympathies, would affix the adjective to a victory
which, however decisive, was marred by one of the most
disgraceful and cowardly massacres of any time. But the
shame still rests on the itiemory of that man who was truly
a butcher — a butcher of the defenceless, but an impotent
officer and arrant coward in the presence of armed equality;
and so, as his name leaves a nasty taste in the mouth, we
will pass on to a contemporary card put forth by an enter-
prising tradesman : —
JOHN WARD, StavMaker.
AT the Golden Dove, in Hanover Street, Usng Acre, Makes Tubby
- all over for j^ I, 135. od., for large sizes ^^i, i6s. od. ; licken backs
yjl, 7s. od., for large sue* two or three shillings advance, with the very
licsl uf goods and the very l»est of work ; neither would 1 accept a ship-
load of the Mcond-bcsl buiic, and be obliged to use it, to deceive people,
nor tabby nor tnmmiug. I am willing to produce receipts in a court
of justice for tnbby, bone, &c, and be entirely diuinnulled bu'ine&S|
or counted on impostor and a deceiver, if I act contrary to what I pro*
MIDDLE OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
191
po«e; which if T did I should tie guilty of nothing but deceit, nor nothing
las th<in fraudj and so don't ought to be allowed; but I can give the
direct contrary proofs ; for I can prove I have liad eighteen measures
at a time by me since Christmas, for people as I have made for several
times before, and all the winter never less than 6vc or six in a week,
oftat more, all old customers; and in consideration its all for ready
money, it shows a prodigious satisfaction. I buy for ready money, and
that commands th« bc&t of goods, and the allowance mftdc in considero-
tioa Lbctcof.
Mr Ward speaks like a conscientious man, but so do
most of the manufacturers of female apparel — or at least
ihcy endeavour to — who advertise. The General Adver^
iiseryivk^ staited in 1745, and its title indicates the purpose
for which it was intended. It was "the first successful
attempt to depend for support upon the advertisements
il contained, thereby creating a new era in the newspaper
press. From the very outset its columns were filled with
them, between fifty and sixty, regularly classified and
separated by rules, appearing in each publication ; in fact
the advertising page put on for the first time a modern
look. The departure of sliips is constantly notified, and
the engravings of these old high-pooped vessels sail in even
line down the column. Trading matters have at last got
the upper hand. You see * a pair of leather bags/ * a scarlet
heed coat/ 'a sword/ still inquired after; and theatres
make a show, for tliis was the dawning of the age of Foote,
Macklin, Garrick, and most of the other great players of the
ksl century; but, comparaLively speaking, the gaieties and
follies of the town ceased gradually from this time to pro-
claim themselves through the medium of advertisements.**
The great earthquake at Lisbon so frightened people about
this time that a law was passed prohibiting masquerades ;
and the other means of amusement, the china auctions, the
rope-dancing, the puppet shows, and the public breakfasts,
became scarcer and scarcer as a new generation sprang into
being, and the padded, powdered, and patched ladies of
high descent and doubtful reputation faded from the world
IflSTORY or ADVERTISING,
^
of fashion. This, however, was a work of time, and th<
crop of noticeable advertisements, though smaller, is stil
sufficiently large for the purpose of making extracts.
Continuing, then, on our way, we do not travel far froi
the staymaker^s announcement, and are still in the sanu
month, when we drop upon a notice which requires n<
explanation, so well does it apply itself to the minds
those whom it may concern. It runs thus : —
AIT" HERE AS Ministcrsof State and other persons in power are often
• • imporluiied for places and prcfcnncnts which are not In their,
disposal, and whereas many Gcnllemcn waste their lives and fortunes ii
a long but vain dependance on the Great \ This is to give notice, that inj
order to preserve the suitors, on the one hand, fnim such disappoint-
ments, and the vexation, expense, and loss of time with which they are<
attended ; and men in power, on the other, from being solicited on mat-
ters not in their department of business :
Ac No. 15. one pair of staiis, in the KingVbench Walk, m tbft)
Temple, gentlemen at an easy charge may be informed what is in their]
patrons* power to bestow, and what with consistency and propriety'
they may ask for ; (cither civil, ecclesiastical, or military, l>y land orj
aca, together with the business of each employment, salaries, fees, &c.) ai
also by what methods to apply, and obtain a speedy and definite answer.
At the same place the most early and certain intelligence may be had
of the vacancies which occur in all public offices. Those who have any
business to transact with the Government, may l)e put into the easiest
and readiest way to accomplish it, and those who have places to dispoce
of may depend on secrecy and always hear of purchasers.
N.B. — At the same place, accompls depending in Chancery, or of
any other kind, arc adjusted; as likewise the business of a money
scrivener transacted, in buying and selling estates, lending money upoaj
proper securities, and proj^er securities to be had for money.
This agency, if properly conducted, must have been
convenient for patrons as for place applicants, and doubt-
less the '* ministers of State and other persons in power'
must often have been astonished to discover what powei
they really possessed, which discovery would never havi
been made had it not been for the services of the gentle-.]
man up one pair of stairs.
In January 1752, the widow Gatcsfield discovered th(
MIDDLE OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY,
193
adwntage likely to accrue from the quotation in an adver-
tisenient of any independent testimony, no matter how
leniotc, and so being anxious to acquaint the public with
the superiority of the silver spurs, for fighting cocks, manu-
factured at her establishment, she concluded her announce-
ment in the Daily Advertiser as follows : —
W Mr Galcsficld wan frtcn<l ajifl successor to the laic Mr Smith
mentioned in Mr Uallam's ingenious pocni called the C&cker^
p. 58.
As curious artists different skill disclose,
The various weapon different temper shows;
Now curving points to soft a temper bear,
And now to hard their brittlcness declare.
Now on tlic plain the treach'rous weapons lyc.
Now wing'd in air the shivcr'd fragraenla fly :
Sorpris'd, cliagrin'd, the others gaxe,
And SuiTH alone ingenious artist praise.
The following, which appears about the same time, is of a
rather doubtful order. It is inserted in the General Adi'er^
tiser of January 6, 1752, and seems to be an attempt to
renew a friendship broken off by some frolicsome fair
ones at the sacrifice of as little dignity as possible. The
advertiser certainly seems to know a good deal about the
missing ladies : —
WHEREAS two young ladies of graceful figure, delicate turned
limbs and noble aspect, lately absenting themselves from their
admirers, are suspected maliciuu&Iy to have sent an cx]:ensive Paclcct,
containing four indecent Words in various Languages to a gentleman
near Hanover Square : Tliis is to give notice whosoever shall induce
these ladies to surrender ihemeelves to that gentleman, shall receive a
suitable reward. The ladies may depend on the gentleman's discretion.
The tender honour of the fine gentlemen of sixscore
years ago is admirably shown by the next two public
announcements, the first of which appears in the General
Advertiser for January 13, 1752 : —
K
same paper with the addition of some
"TAU RING the performance on Saturday nig|
*-^ house, a dispute was carried to a great 1«
und a gentleman unknown ; hut on the strangef
or his erroff and making public submission and
tion, it was amicably terminated.
Mr V n was evidently very anxioi
should know he had bome himself bd
gentleman, even at the risk of bloodshe]
would have endeavoured to get his a(
another portion of the paper, and " Jenkir
leaded type would doubtless have be€
requisition.
The Gefifral Advetiiser seems to have
for affairs of gallanlry, for just at this p
annexed : —
A TALL, well-fash ion M, handsome young wot
with a 6nc bloom in her countenance, a cast
scarcely di^ccmablc ; a wcU-tnmeU nose, and dark
flowing about her neck, which seemed to l»e ncv
new year's day about three o'clock in the aftcmooi
Long acre, and near the turn into Drury Lans
man. wraonM ud
MIDDLE OF EIGHTEEN! tJ CENTURY,
«9S
date it ceruinly iloes not matter much which, except for
the purpose of discovering probable fresh peculiarities
among our very pecuhar ancestors. That more than one
cunning tradesman began about now to understand the
full value of judicious puffer)', is well shown by the follow-
ing ingenious adveriisemeni, in the form of a letter to the
editor of the General Advertiser^ of January 19, 1752,
which is a good specimen of that disinterested friendship
which people always have for themselves : —
Sir,
Your inserting this in your paper will be of great service to the
pDblic, and very much oblige,
Your huxntilc servant, £. G.
Thai Mr Parsons, staymaker at the Golden Acorn, James Street,
Covent Garden, makes stays for thoae that are crooked, in a perfect
easy pleasant manner : so that the wearer is as easy in them, ttiough
trer so crooked, as the straitest woman living-, and appears so strait
and easy a shape that it is not to be perceived by the most intimate
icqiiainianccs. As to misses that arc crooked or inclined to be so, either
by fall, sickness, etc., he always prevents their growing worse, itnd haa
often with his care and judgment, in particular methods he has in mak-
ti:^ their coats and stays, brought ihera intircly strait, which I can
attest, if required, by several which were infants at my boarding School
and arc now good-shap*d women. I have often persuaded Mr Parsona
to let this be published in the Papers, for the good of my sex, for
what would not any gentlewoman give, who haa this misforlunep
cither in themselves or their children, to know of a man that can make
them appear strait and easy, and their cliildren made strait or preserved
from growing worse. But his answer was that he did not like it to be in
the Papers ; and not only that, but the Public might think he worked
only for those who have the misfortune of being crook'd. But certainly
in oiine, and every thinking person's opinion, as he is so ingenious to
make such vast additions to a bad shape, he must and can add some
beauties to a good one by making a genteel stay. He has been in
business for himself to my knowledge 26 years ; consequently has, and
does work, for genteel shapes as well as bad. t have several fine-shaped
misses in my School that lie works for, whose parents always give me
thanks for recommending him, and arc pleased to say that he makes
the gcnteelest stays, robes, or coats they ever saw ; and I doubt not, but
every one that employs him will say the same.
Sir, as the publishing this in the Papers (which I acknowledge was
196
NJ STORY OF ADVERTISING,
first without your consent), has been of such universal service, iherefa
I desire you 'II permit the continuance of it, for I sincerely do it for
good of my sex, knowing whoever applies to yott wiU receive gi
benefit thereby.
Elizabeth GARDtNSK.
Mrs Gardiner seems to have known just as much aboi
Mr Parsons as Mr Parsons knew about himself, or at
events as mucli as he cared to Jet other people knot
Very different is the next selection, which goes to shoi
that however unfashionable a thing love at first sight may
now, it had some claims to consideration in 1752, from tl
Daily Advertiser of March 30, in which year, this is taken :-
T F the young gentleman who came into the Oratorio last \Vedoes<1j
^ and by irresistible address gained a place for the lady he attends
is yet at liberty, Sylvia may still be happy. But, alas t her mind
racked when ihe reflects on all the tender anxiety he discovered (or
fears she saw) in all his care of her that evening. How much, h<
deep wa-« all his attcution engaged by that loo lovely, loo happy fairj
At alt events an inter^'iew is earnestly sought, even if it be 10 talk
me of etcrn-illy lasting sorrow. Notice how to direct to him shall
want gratitude. He may remember a circumstance of a lady's mi
tionirg as he passed the sentimental look and sweetness of his eye.
There is just a suspicion of humbug about this, unless^
indeed, it emanated from an amorous dame of the Lady
Bellaston school, for no young lady of even those days
would have penned such an effusion. Of quite a different
kind is the following, and yet there is a covert satire upon the
doings of the day in it, which suggests a relationship. It is
not impossible that bolh tliis, which is from the Daily
Advertiser of October 27, 1752, and that which precedes i^
emanate from the same source : —
^^h An Address to tht GENTLEMEN.
^^^ ^ ENTLEMENf — It is well known that many of you spare neither
I ^-^ pains nor cost when in pursuit of a Woman you have a mind to
ruin, or when attached to one already undone. But I don't remember
to have heard of any considerable benevolence conferred by any of you
upon a virtuou-s Woman: I therefore take this method to let you know,
that if there should be any among you who have a desire to assist (with
i
M/DDt£ OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
197
a rtwrM^rroii^ present) an agreeable Woman, for no other reason than
becatue she wanU U, sach Person or Persons (if such there be\ may by
giving their Address in this Paper, be iaformed of an occasion to excr-
cite their disinterested Genero:atty. *
There seems to have been no hurry on the part of the
gentlemen to respond to this appeal, which might have
fUrred the heart of a knight-errant, but which had no effect
oa the bloods and fribbles of the middle of last century. In
this year 1752^ as previously noticed, the Act was passed for-
bUdiDg a notification of " no questions asked" in advertising
lost orslolen property.* The Edinburgh C?;//-<7/// of October
28, 1758, supplies us with our next example, and also shows
W^^t the course of true love was as uneven then as now ;—
^^r Glasgow, Octob, 23, 1758.
E Robert M'Nair and Jean Holmes having taken into con-
sideration the way and manner our daughter Jean acted in her
Karriage, that the took none of our advice, nor advised us before she
Buried, for which reason we discharged her from our Fanitly, for more
llun Twelve Months ; and being afiaid that fiome or other uf our Family
nay also presume to marry without duly advising us thereof. We, taking
the affair into our serious con^sideratton, hereby discharge all -and every
ooe of our Children from offering to marry williout our special advice
ind consent 6r^t had and obtained ; and if any of our Children should
propose or presume to offer Marriage to any, without as aforesaid our
adrice and consent, they in that case shall be banished from our Family
Twelve Months, and if they should go so far ai to marry without our
advice and consent, in that case they are to be banished from the Family
Seven Years ; but whoever advises us of their intention to marry and
obtains our consent, shall not only remain Children of the Family, but
aU« UuiU have a due proportion of ourXioods, Gear, and Estate, as we
dudl think convenient, and as the bargain requires ; and further if any
I Tliis Act seems to have been forgotten, or capable of evasion, for
l^balute of the 7 & 8 Geo. IV., c. 29, s. 59, imposes a penalty on
^^^ person who >hall advectise, or print, or publish an advertisement of
* a. reward for the return of properly stolen or lost, with words purport-
ing that no questions shall be asked, or promising to pawnbrokers or
others ihe return of money which may have Iwea lent upon objects
fciooiouiily acquired.
193
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
one of our Children shall marry clandestinely, they, by so doing, shUlJ
lo&e all claim or title to our EFTccts, Goods, Gear ur Estate ; and wi
inltmaie this to all concerned, that none may pretend tgnuioiicc
There is something original about discharging a member"
of one's family for twelve months or seven years, and then
taking her back again ; and so there is in the idea that all
members of this same house are not only over-anxious to'
marry, but that they are unduly sought after. The farailyi
must have been, indeed, a large one to necessitate notifica-
tion througli the public press; and though our ignorancej
may be lamentable, we must confess to not knowing whyi
Mrs M'Nair declined to call herself by her husband's name,
Wc presume — nay^ we hope — that Robert and Jean did'
not upon principle object to wedlock, though the adver*
tisement, coupled with the fact of the dissimilarity of names,
might lead any one to suppose so. Marriage was much
tltought of in 1758, so far as advertisers are concerned, as
the following, culled from many of the same kind, which
now began to appear in tlie Daily AdveriUer^ will
show : —
A PERSON of character, candour and honour, who has an entire
' ■**- knowledge of the World, and ha.* great Intimacy with both Sexes
I among the Nohility, Gentry and Persons 0/ Credit and Reputation; and
I as it often happens^ that many deserring Persons of both Sexes arc
I deprived of tlie opportunity of cnlering into the state of Mntnniony,
^ by being unacquainted with the merit of each other, therefore upon
directing a letter to A. Z. of any one's inlention of entering into the
t above State, to the advantage of each, to be left at Mr Perry's, Miller's
Court, Aldermanbury, Secrecy and Honour will be obser\'ed in bringinu
to a Conclusion such their Intention. Any Person who shall send a
Letter, is desired to order the bearer to put it into the Letter-box for fear
it may be mi&laid : and it is desired that none but those who ora
^ccrc would make any application on the above subject.
That people were, however, quite capable of conducting
their own little amours whenever a chance offered, the foU
lowing, which is another of the love-at-fitst-sight effusions,
Ol
MIDDLE OF EtCHTEENTH CENTURY.
199
and a gem in its way, will show. It is from the London
CA/vwwV of August 5, 1758 ; —
A Young Lady who was at VauxhaU on Thursday night last, in
**■ company with iwo Gentlemen, could not but observe a young
Gentleman in blue and a gold laceU hat, who, being near her by Oie
Orchestra during the perrormance, especially the last song, gazed upon
bcr with the utmost attention. He earnestly hopes (if unmarTied) she
irill favonr bim with a line directed lo A. D. at the bar of the Temple
Eschnnge CoRee-house, Temple bar, lo inform him whether Foitune,
Family, and Character, may not entitle him, upon a further knowledge, lo
hope an interest in her Heart. lie begs s-he will pardon ihe method he
has taken to let her know the situation of his Mind, a»,beinga Stranger,
he despaired of doing it any other way, or even of seeing her more.
As his views are founded upon the must honourable Fnnciples, he pre-
sumes to hope the occasion will justify it, if she generously breaks
through this trifling formality of the Sex, rather than, by a cruel
Silence, render unliappy one, who must ever cacpcct to continue so, if
debarred from a nearer acquaintance with her, in whose power alone
it is to complete his Felidt/.
This goes to prove what we have before remarked,
that the concocters of these advertisements were in
the habit of falling in love with the women whom
they saw with other men; and so it is only natural
to suppose, that however honourable they may have pro-
tested themselves in print, they were in reality mean,
cowardly, and contemptible. The well-known Kitty Fisher
finds the utility of advertising as a means of clearing her
character, and in the Public Advertiser of March 30, 1759,
puts forth the following petition, which had little effect upon
her persecutors, as the little scribblers continued, as little
scribblers will even nowadays, and " scurvy malevolence "
also held sway over Iier destinies for a considerable period : —
'T'O err is a blemish entailed upon Mortality, and Indiscretions seldom
■*■ or ever escape from Censure ; the more heavy as the Character
U more remarkable ; and doubled, nay trebled, by the World, if the
progress of that Character is marked by Success ; then Malice shoots
Tintshops, and to wind op the whole, some '
and venal, would impose upon (he Public b]
publt&h her Memoirs. She hopes to prevent
endeavours by thus ]ntblicly declaring that not
fctighlest foundalion in Truth.
We have already referred to an arti<
Johnson, in an Idler oi I7S9, on the sul
ments. It is ver)* amusing, and in it he]
ever is common is despised. Advertisei
numerous that they are very neghgently
therefore become necessary to gain attei
cence of promises, and by eloquence sot
and sometimes pathetic" He then passe
of the most inflated pufls of that period,
*' Promise, large promise, is the soul of ai
I remember a washball that had a quality t
it gave an exquisite edge to the razor. An
to be sold, for ready money only, some
coverings, of down, beyond comparison su
called ottar down, and indeed such, that
lences cannot be here set forth. With or
are made acquainted — it is warmer.
blankpK and \\o\\\
MIDDLE OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. aoi
tnd the affection with which he warned every mother, that
ihe would never forgive herself if her infant should perish
witliout a necklace. I cannot but remark to the celebrated
anther, who gave, in his notifications of the camel and
dromedary, so many specimens of the genuine sublime,
that there is now arrived another subject yet more worthy
of his pen — A famous Mohawk Indian warrior, who took
Dieskaw, the French general, prisoner, dressed in the same
manner with the native Indians when they go to war, with
his &ce and body painted, with his scalping knife, tom-axe,
and all other implements of war! A sight worthy the
curiosity of every true Briton ! This is a very powerful
description : but a critic of great refinement would say that
it conveys rather horror than terror. An Indian, dressed
as he goes to war, may bring company together ; but if he
carries the scalping knife and tom-axe, there are many true
Britons that will never be persuaded to see him but through
a grate. It has been remarked by the severer judges, that
the salutary sorrow of tragic scenes is too soon effaced by the
merriment of the epilogue : the same inconvenience arises
from the improper disposition of advertisements. The
noblest objects may be so associated as to be made ridi-
culous. The camel and dromedary themselves might have
lost much of their dignity between the true flower of
mustard and the original Daffy's Klixir; and I could not
but feel some indignation when I found this illustrious
Indian warrior immediately succeeded by a fresh parcel of
Dublin butter. The trade of advertising is now so near to
perfection, that it is not easy to propose any improvement.
But as every art ouglit to be exercised in due subordination
to the public good, I cannot but propose it as a moral
question to these masters of the public ear, Whether they
do not sometimes play too wantonly with our passions? as
when the registrar of lottery tickets invites us to his shop
by an account of the prizes which he sold last year ; and
whether the advertising controversists do not indulge
203 inSlVR Y OF AD VER TISING.
asperity of language without any adequate provocation?
in the dispute about strops for razors, now happily su
sided, and in the altercation which at present subsists coni
ceming Eau de Luce. In an advertisement it is ailowed
every man to speak well of himself, but I know not why H
should assume the privilege of censuring his neighboiu;
He may proclaim his own virtue or skill, but ought not to
I exclude others from the same pretensions. Every man lb
advertises his own excellence should write with some co
, sciousness of a character which dares to call the attentio;
\ of the public. Ho should remember that his name is t
I stand in the same paper with those of the King of Prussia
and the Emperor of Germany, and endeavour to make him-
I self worthy of sucli association. Some regard is likewise
to be paid to posterity. There are men of diligence and
f curiosity who treasure up the papers of the day merely
f because others neglect them, and in lime they will be
scarce. When these collections shall be read in another
I century, how will numberless contradictions be reconciled;
I and how shall fame be possibly distributed among the
I tailors and bodice-makers of the present age?" Judging
I by the advertisements which continued, the worthy adver-
I tisers of 1759 had a very poor opinion of men yet to come,
\ and might have asked, had they thought of it, with the Irish
I member, "What's posterity ever done for us?" — a que
I which would have puzzled even Dr Johnson.
I The sliort-sleeved dresses of 1760 must have called f(
all kinds of apparatus for whitening and beautifying ih
arms, and among many a kindred and attractive advertise
ment of the time we take the following from ihe Chronidt
of April X9-21 : —
sh
Clovtt for ladies.
'HP HE tnie prepared French Chicken and Dog-skin Gloves, for clemi
-^ ing and whitening the hands and arms, perfumed and plain. A
SAme ladies Imvc h.-id hut smnll confidence in these Gloves, till tin
have been prevailed upou to wear one Glove for eight or ten Ni^hl
ill
MIDDLE OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 203
vlioi they Hare e vidently seen to their agreeable satisfaction that hand
tod ann brought f o such a superior degree of whiteness over the other,
u tbooeh they d'.d not belong to the same Person.
The abore Gioves are prepared and sold only by Warren & Co.,
Rnfiimeis, at the Golden Fleece, in Marybone Street, Golden Square,
M5a. a pair, who import, make and sell, all sorts of perfumery Goods,
ii the utmost perfection. The Violet-Cream Pomatum, and cele-
toled quintessence of Lavender,' by no other person.
9f Ladies soiding their servants arc humbly desired to send a Glove
of the size.
iV.f .— Just landed, a fine parcel of the famous India Pearl.
*«* The Queen's Royal Marble, at 2Qs., and Chinese Imperial Wash
Ul, at 5s., that are so well known to the Nobility, &c. Ladies' Masks
ad Tippets.
All thb effort at decoration and beautifying is very wrong,
bat we are stopped in our desire to " improve the occa-
«on" by the recollection that no age has been more deep in
the mysteries of cosmetic, enamel, pearl powder, and paint
than our own, in which quacks abound, and old ladies have
been known to submit themselves to the operation of being
made beautifuli not for all time, but for ever. A little
further on, in the Eventng Post, we come upon an ambi-
tious author who has attempted to regenerate the drama, \
and who advertises his work. Shakespeare seems always
to have been considered capable of improvement by some-
body, but as the mania for touching the immortal bard up,
and making him respectable and fit for the understandings
of small tradesmen, still goes on, and fortunes are made at
it, we will give the following without comment, lest some
original author of the present day might think we were
obliquely alluding to him : —
In t hi: press and shortly will be published
THE Students, a Comedy, altered from Shakespeare's Love's Labour
Lost, and adapted to the stage, with an original Prologue and
Epilogue.
Printed for Thomas Hope, opposite the north gate of the Royal
Exchange, Threadneedle St.
Deserters are plentiful about this period, our soldiers,
[ornier. The following is from Lh
April 26-28, and is a fair specimen ol
Dtserted
FROM the l6th Regiment of Dragoons, Cl
WILLIAM BEVENI
Aged 16 years, about five feci five inches hi(
he walks, nnd but very indifferenlly made ; abi
Quarters last Saturday night, the 17th instant ;]
the parish of the //ays, in the County of ilrcck|
■ labourer; he went away vnth a li^ht horse
frock faced with black, a striped fl2.nnel waistcoa
breeches.
Whoever apprehends and secures the above \
be committed Id any of His Majesty's gaols,
George Ross, Esq., Agent to the regiment
London, receive twenty Shillings, over and al
by Act of Parliamc!n^
Those who are in the habit of exprcs
to the decadence of the British soldier,
human being generally, will do well tc
advertisement, and judge from it the diff
defenders of hearths and homes of the
with all his want of size and
CHAPTER X.
TUB EDUCATION COMPLETED.
SO far, as has been shown, advertisements have had
to struggle against foreign war, internecine disorder,
the poverty of the State, and many other drawbacks;
but by the commencement of the seventh decade of the
eighteenth century, these difficulties have all in turn been
surmounted, and the most modem means of obtaining
publicity, despite prejudice, and, still worse, taxation, is
fixed finnly in the land, and doing much towards the
management of its affairs. The country is at peace with
the world, so far as Europe is concerned ; and even the
Canadian campaign is as good as over. Clive has made
himself felt and the name of England feared throughout
the length and breadth of India, and merchants are begin-
ning to reap the advantages of conquest. George III. has
ascended the throne, has been married and crowned, and
looks forward to a long and prosperous reign. In fact,
everything seems bright and smiling, for never, through
many a long year, was the country so free from troubles
and anxieties, or with so little to direct her attention from
those two great essentials to English existence — profit and
pleasure. And so, as marked in the preceding chapter,
advertisements of all kinds progressed as the century
became older; and when the ordinary style failed, dodges
of all kinds were adopted to give a factitious importance to
announcements, no matter whether of quacks, of publishers,
or of the infinite variety of other trades and professions
which just now began to be bitten by the fast-growing
ine MiDiscercu :>iaie/
the altar of Halifax the characters of all p|
from Budeigli to Hute, and the attempt to fc
the wrath of the Revieiv^ which comment
" As the practice of puffing is now arriv]
height of assurance, it will not be improper
occasionally to mark some of the gross<
may occur of this kind." Thereupon It n<
paragraph," to which we have already rei
within brackets being the comments of the
A noble Peer has absolutely given directions to hi
inence a Prosecution a^^ainsl Lite Author uf the Poem c
of Siatf^ a Satire^ as a most licentious and libellous i
writer, no doubt, merits a severer censure of the L(
brethren, becanse instead of employing those ^ai/ /a
iatire/or wkkh hi is so daervtdty cMtbrattd [what di
for his effrontery ?] in the service of Virtue and hi
hasety [basely enough !] prostituted ihcm to the un
defaming, lampooning and abusing some of the grc
this Kingdom. [All a puff to excite curiosity.]
LITERARY LUMINARY of the age [this illiterate
should pay a greater deference to the words of hi
Pope :
" Curs'd be the verse, how smooth soe'er it f
fWe doubt, however, if ani
7BE EDUCATION COMPLETED.
ao7
and is of a literary character also, though, judging by the
motto adopted, the work is more likely to produce melan-
choly than amusement : —
This day are putiltshed, Price rs.,
THE Songs of Stlraa, atlempled in English verse, from Ihe original
of Osftian, the son of Fingal Quii tatia fando J'eni-
fnd a lacrymUT .... Printed for R. Griffiths, opposite
Somerset House in the Strand ; C. Henderson, at the Royal Exchange;
tod G. Woodfftll, Charing Cross.
How many books of this kind have been published,
thrown aside, and forgotten, or consigned to the pastry-
cook and trunkmakerj since the ** Songs of Selraa" saw the
light, is a question easier to ask than to solve. One thing
i$, though, certain — the number of people who will write,
whether they have anything to say or not, increases every
year, and in due course we may expect an ingenious
Chancellor of the Exchequer to impose a lax on authors;
which, after all, will hardly, bo far as brilliancy is concerned,
be so destructive as the window-tax, or so uncalled for as
Mr Robert Lowe's famous " ex luce lucellum " imposition.
A couple of weeks later, in the same paper (January 18-20),
is the following of a ver)' different character from that which
has been already selected : —
READING MACHINE
IS removed from the Three Kings, Piccadilly, to the George Inn,
Snow Hill, London ; sets out from the Broad Faff , Rfading^ every
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, at seven o'clock in (he mominj;, nnd
Prom the George Inn, Sntntt //i//, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Satur-
day* at seven o'clock in the morning ; carries passengers to and from
Raiding at 6s. each, children in lap, and outside passengers at 3s.
Performed by * '^''^^^^ ^^''^'^ "'^
Richard Mapleton.
NJ?. — Takes no charge of Writings, Money, Watches, or Jewel%
imlc«s entered and paid for as such.
This machine was evidently a nondescript, partly slow
coach, partly waggon, and was extremely reasonable in its
tales if it journeyed at any pace, seeing that outside
passengers paid no more than present Parliamentary rates,
3o8
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
while the inskles had no occasion to complain of excessii
expenditure. But fancy the journey at seven o'clock on
January morning, with the knowledge that no brisk moti<
would keep the blood in circulation, that the roads were'
heavy, the weathcrindififerent, the society worse, the conver-
sation, if any, very heavy, and the purse proportionally light!
Such a company as Roderick Random and Strap fell in
with in the waggon, must often have been seen on the
outside of the Reading Machine. In the same paper of
January 20-22, we find the advertisement of a pamphlet
issued for the gratification of a morbid taste which has its
representative nowadays — though, by the way, there is
more excuse for a little excitement over murder and execu-
tion now than there was in the days when every week saw
its batch of criminals led forth to take their final dance
upon nothing : —
This day was published, price is.,
SOME Authentic particulars of the life of John Macnaghlon, Esq.,
of Ben ^ who was executed in Ireland, on luesday the 25ih
d.-iy of Dccrmbcr, for the Murder of Miss Mary Anne Knox, the only
daughter of Andrew Knox, Esq., of Prehcn, representative in the
late and present Pr.rliamcnt for the county of Donegal. Wiih a fuU
account of his pretended Connexion with the young Lndy ; of tl
measures he took to seize her person previous to the Murder ;
circumstances of that fact ; the manner of his being apprchendc
and his conduct and behaviour froni that time till his Death. Campilt
from papers communicated by a gentleman in Ireland, to a person
distinction of that Kingdom now residing here.
Printed for IL Payne & W. Croply, at Dryden's Head in Pate
noster Row.
John Macnaghton, Esq., was a real gentleman criminaV
and though food for the halter was plenty in 1762 and
thereabouts, gentlemen were ** tucked up" still more rarely
than within ordinary recollections ; for stern as was the law
a hundred years ago, it had very merciful consideration for
persons of quality, and the hanging' of a landed pro-
prietor for a mere paltry murder was a very noticeable event.
In the London Gazette of February 23-:J7, we 6nd a record
k.
THE EDUCATION COMT'LETED.
209
of the coronation of their illustrious and sacred MajestieS|
George and Charlotte^ which runs thus : —
Albemarlk St., Feby. 26, 1762.
'T^HE Gold Mcdalii inleaded for the Peers and Peeresses who in ihcir
-^ robc» sittcnded at the Coronalion of their Majesties (according 10
B liil obtained from the proper officers) \(-ilI be delivered at the £arl of
Powls's house in Albemarle Street, on Wednesday and Thursday next,
Irocn ten 10 twelve o'clock each day.
It is therefore desired that the Peers and Peeresses, as above men-
tionedf will Knd for their Medals ; and that the persons who shall be
cent for them shall bring Cards, signed by such Peers or Peeresses, as
ibe Medals shall be required for» and scaled with their Anna.
In the same paper we come upon the advertisement of a
book which is even now read with interest, tliough the
price at which a modem issue of it is offered is ludicrously
small compared with that of the original edition : —
'X*niS day is published, in small quarto, Price Thirty Shilling^
•^ Printed at Strawberry Hill, Anecdotes of Painting in England,
with incidental Notes on other Arts. Collected by the late Mr George
Vertne, and now first digested and published from his original Manu-
scripts. By Mr ^[orace Walpole. Vol. I. and H. With alx)ve forty
Copper plates, four of which arc taken from anttcnt Paintings ; tlte
rest, heads of Artists, engraved by Grignionj Mailer, Chambers, and
Banoerman.
To be had of W. Bathoc, Bookseller, in the Strand, near Exeter
Exchange.
As we have no wish whatever to paint the !ily, we will,
although the subject is a kindred one, leave Horace Wal-
pole's book without a fresh criticism to add to the thousand
and odd already passed upon it, and will pass on to the land
"where the men are all brave and liie women all beautiful,"
and where, in Faulkner's DubUn JoumaJ, also of February
1762, we come upon the cry of a young man for his mother.
Id the advertisement is the nucleus of a story quite equal 10
"Tom Jones," provided, of course, that its author possessed
the fancy of a Fielding. We are not aware of any literary
gentleman who would succeed, though we are acquainted
with plenty who would most confidently make the attempt ;
o
a
s
aio HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
their only doubt, if doubt possessed them at all, bein
in ihcir own iiowers, but in the discernment of the re
public. To them, therefore, we present ihe groundwo
a story which would naturally enlist the s)'mpathi
England and Ireland. A little might also be thrown
the benefit of Scotland, which would hardly like to be]
out of so fascinating a romance : — j
^ITHEREAS a lady who called hcr-elf a native of Ireland wi
■ ' England in the year 1740, and resided some time at a cei
village near Bnth, wlicre she was delivered of a son, whom i.
with a sum of money under the care of a person in the same
and promised to fetch him at a certain age, but has not since I
heard of; now this is to desire the lady, if living, and this shouli
so fortunate as to be seen by her, to send a letter, directed to T. |
be left at the Chapter Coffee house, St PauPs Churchyard, Lon(
wherein she is desired to give an account of herself, and her re4
for concealing this afljiir : or if the lofly should be dcat1, and any M
is privy to the affair, they arc lilcewise desired to direct as af
H.B. This advertisement is publishe<l by Ihe person himself, not
motives of necessity, or to court any assistance (he being, by a
happy circumstances, possessed of an easy and independent fa
but with a real dettirc to know his origin. — P.^ The strictest
may Ijc depended 00,
Foundlings seem to have been better off a hui
years ago than now, for in all stories they come out
well, and in this present instance T. E. seems to have
able to help himself. It is not unlikely, however, that
sharp adventurer, knowing how weak is human nature,
hit upon the expedient of attracting maternal sjanpathw
Bath was a great place at tliat lime for interesting in
— with a view to a system of extortion. This may, or
not be, and at this dLstance of time it is useless to sj
late. Accordingly we turn once more to the London Gc
and in a number for April 1762 find this : —
'T* HE following persons being fugitives for debt, and beyond th«
■^ on or before the twenty-fiflh day of October, one thousand
hundred and sixty, and. having surrcudcicd themselves to the
T0E EDUCATION COMPLETED. 2II
JEcepeTs of tKe rexpcdtve Prisons or GaoU herealter mentioned, do here-
in give notice^ tli&t they iatcnd to tiJce the benefit oT aa Act of Parlia-
ment passed in th« ficst year of the reign of Hi» prestat Majesty King
George the Third, intituled An Afi pr rdkf cf Insolvent DebU^s^ at
Itt next Gencni or Quarter Seationa of the PcacCt to be held in and
Dor ibe County, Ridings Division, City, Tt>wn, Liberty or Place, or any
adjoununent thereor^ wliich shall happen next after thirty days from
tile ^nC Piibl)<:atioa of the undermentioned namea, viz.^
jAmes Colbum, late of Smith Street, in ihe parish of St James, in
(te Ltiunty of Middleset, Baker.
FagEtive fijirttidered to the Keeper of Whitechapel Prison, in the
C»uQ[y of Middlesex.
Second Notice.
Cha^rlex WatkinSp late of the Bankside, in the parish of St Saviour,
Soflthvrark, tn the coaniy qf Surrey, Waterman.
Fugitive sorreodered to the Keeper of the Poultry Compter, in the
^1^ of London.
Third Notice,
Jvnei Buckley, formerly of Cgck Alley, late of Star Alley, in the
of Aldgalc, Lower Frecinct, London, Cordwainer.
This is one of the first notices given of an intention to
the benefit of an Act that was much wanted. The
nesa of people to take advantage of any boon, no matter
how priceless, is here once again shown, for there are but
three claimants for redemption, two of whom had been
ihed before. By the middle of 1762 the Cock Lane
had had its two years' run atid was discovered, and
must have been just about the time of the trial of Par-
lons and his family — viz., in June — that the following
mppeared in the British Chrgnich : —
This day is publisbedj price 6t:L
TRUE ftocouDt of the sevemi conversations between the sup-
posed Apparition in Cock Lane, and the GentUmen who attended.
Tcfether with the Death and FuneroJ of Mrs K— — , and many other
Admvtftncei not mode known to the World.
Fublisheil for the conviction of the incredulous.
"I w<nild t^e the g;hosL's wotd for a thousand pounds."
Hamlet.
Pkinted for £. Cabe, at his Circulating library in Ave Marie lane ;
jad to be h«d of all Pamphlet shops and News carriers.
A^
312
mSTORY OF ADVERTISING,
to
It is hard to tell whether the writer is in favour o
ghost's existence or not from the advertisement, for whi
he in one breath speaks of the supposed apparition,
immediately afterwards refers to the incredulous, and quoteB,
no less an authority than Shakespeare in support of the:]
imposition. Doubtless this was a trick to secure the pur-
chase-money, if not the support, of the partisans of both
sides. Next, in the same paper, we come upon a notice of
the post-office in reference to the foreign mails of that day,
which runs thus : —
General Post Office, Aug, 8, 1762.
■pUBLIC Notice is hereby given to all persons corresponding with
■^ His Majesty's island of Belleisle, thai Letters for the future will be
regularly forwarded from Plymouth to and from that Island, by two
Vessels, lately hired and appointed for that pur]>ose.
By Order of the Post master- General,
Henry Potts, Secretary,
The mail service across the Atlantic was somewhat dif-
ferent in 1762 from what it is now, when a continuous
stream of letters is every day poured forth, either by way of
Liverpool or by means of the later delivery at Qucenstown,
Soldiers seem to have been shorter, too, not only in height
but in quantity, about this time, if the evidence of an adver-
tisement of January i, 1763, is to be taken. We are still
quoting from the British CkronicUj and shall continue to
do so until another journal is named : —
npHE Royal Regiment of Horse Guards, commcinded by the Right
-^ Honourable die Marquis of Granby, is willing to entertain any
young Man under 23 years of age, having a good Character, stiait and
well made, in height, from five feet ten, to six feet one inch. Apply to
(Quarter Master Camphdt^ at the Market Coffee House, Mayfair.
From the same copy we talce another notice, which shows
that the executors of Mr Ward not only considered it their
duty to get rid of his stock at the best possible advantage,
but also to continue a defence of the business which had
THE EDUCATION COMPLETED.
a»3
been inslituled by the late proprietor against the attacks of
so impostor. The reason they give for the republication
'\% cunous, unless they fancied its omission would trouble
the spirit of the late compounder of drugs : —
'yjIE hue Joshua Ward of Whitehttll, Esq., having left very con-
■^ siderable quantities of his principal Medicines ready prepared,
such and such only as may be applied for by name, will be delivered ac
his late dweliing-house in Whitehall.
As not the least pretence is made by us, of having any judgment in
the application of Medicine, we presume to say nu more than that the
tpecified orders shall be delivered wiih the utmost care and fidelity. —
Ralph Ward, Thomas Ward, Executors.
As the following was published by the late Mr Ward it is necessary
to adjoin the same. — " Having seen in the public papers that a woman
servant discharged from my service advertises herself as (late) my
faousckeeper and assistant in preparing my medicines. It is a justice
I owe the public and myself, to declare, that this woman was hired and
with me as, and at the wages of a common working servant,
ting no other. And as to what knowledge she may have In pre-
ring my medicines, every living servant in my family, with the same
»pncty, may pretend to it, being all assistants to me by their manual
rar. Signed — ^Joshua Ward,"
Soon after this, February 10-12, comes an announcement
ich must have filled the lady readers of tiie Chronicle —
ladies ever loved bargains — with anxiety and their
isbands with terror. The last paragraph shows that
»e warehouseman knew well how to bait his trap for the
iwary: —
A REAL SALE OF SILKS
T the Coventry Cross, Chandos Street, Covcnt Garden. Consist-
ing of a very great assortment of Rich brocades. Tissues, flowered,
and plain 5>attins, Tabbies, Ducapes, black Armozccns, Rasdumorcs,
Mantuas &c> Being purchased of the executors of an eminent weaver
Bod factor, deceased, and of another left off trade.
Merchants, &c.. may be supplied with rich Silks fit for exportation,
ih and fine paticms, greatly under prime cost, for ready money only,
price marked on each piece.
It is hoped Ladies will not be offended that they cannot possibly be
litcd on at their own Houses.
I
214
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
Within a very short period, little more than a week, wai
come across an advertisement which we admit fairly puzzle»i
us. We are certainly far more able to believe that the pre-^
cious balsam does all that is promised for it, than we
to understand the reason for its having but one title,
runs thus ; —
"11 fARHAM'S Apoplelic Balsnm, so well l;no\rn at an excelleni
' ' remedy against Flls, Convulsions, &c., cures Deafness bad
Humours in the Eyes, inwar^ Bruises, dissolves hard Lumps in ihc
Breast, and has often cured Cancers, as can be proved by FacU; is t,
sovereign salve for green Wounds, Bums &c. Is prepared and sol<
only by W. Strode, at the Golden Ball, Tottenham Court Rood,!
London.
Who also prepares and sells Warham's Ccphalick Snuff, of a m<
grateful smell, and an cffectuaJ remedy for giddiness, nervous painfi ii
the Head, 8tc.
Also Warham's excellent Mouth water, which certainly cures the
toothache, strengthens and preserves the Teeth, takes off all smcUs pn>^
ceeding from bad Teeth, 5cc.
In a number for February 26 to March i, 1764, there
an announcement of one of those dinners without which n
English charity ever has succeeded, or, so long as English
nature remains as it is, ever will succeed without. It is
noticeable for various reasons, and especially for the notic
of " Mr" Handel and the airing of the hall : —
tice^H
THE Anniversary Feast of the Governors of this Charity
held on Thursday the iSth of March next, at Drapers-
MAGDALEN HOUSE CHARITY.
Prcscol Street, Goodman's Fields, Feb. 10, 1764.
-iU be
Orapers-Halh ii^^H
Throgmorlon Street, after a sermon to be preached at the Paris]K^|
Church of St Gcoi^e, Hanover Square, before the Right Honourable
the Earl of Hertford, President; the Vice-Presidents; Treasurer and
Govcnior of this Charity ; by the Rev. William Dodd, A.M., Chaplai
to the Bishop of St David's.
Prayers will l>cgin nt eleven o'clock precbeTy, and Dinner will be
tabic at Three o'clock.
THE EDUCATION COMPLETED.
"$
Joseph Martin, Esq.
John Wcyland, Esq.
John Barker, Esq.
John Eddows, Esq.
Stewards.
The Right Hon. Lord Viscount Spencer,
The Right lion. Lord Scar&dalc.
Smith
John
Esq.
Jncob Wilkinson, Esq.
John Lcfcvrc, Esq.
Jacob Bosanquct, Esq.
N.B. — A Te Deum, composed by Mr Handel for the laic Duke of
Chandos's Chapel, witli Jubilate and other Anlhcms, will be performed
by Mr Beard, and a proper Band of the best performers, boUi voca] and
instruincnt&L.
The Hall will be properly aired.
Tickets for the Feast may be had at the following places, at five
shilUngs eacli, viz., Mr Wintcrbottom's, the Secretary, in Old Broad
Street, and at the fullowing CofTcc-Houses ; Arthur's, in St J.Tnies's
Street; Monnt's, Grosvcmor Square ; Tom's, in Devereux Court;
Richard's, in Fleet Street ; Tom's, John's, and Batoon's, in Comhill ;
i|^ Waghora^s, at the Court of Requests.
^^fe Two ladies Tickets for the Church will be given
^^B with each Feast Ticket.
P^«r Gibson, whose advertisement appears in the edition
for April 5-7, 1764, would have been invaluable to Julia
Pastrana and the Bearded Lady, while his aid would have
been equally in demand among those anxious to cover
themselves with the glory of hirsute appendages. Unfor-
tunately for him, moustaches and beards were not then in
demand, nor was baldness so noticeable as now ; but the
request for his beautifying paste doubtless compensated him
for other neglects : —
^P A CARD TO THE LADIES.
^TtR CIBSOX'S Innocent Composition, so greatly admired for tfs
•tVl wonderful effects, in removing by the Roots in linlf a minute,
ihc most strong Hair growing in any part of the Head or Face, witliout
the least hurt to the finest Skin nf ladies or Children ; he sells this
useful composition at 51. an ounce, with such full directions that any
Person may use it themselves.
Also his carious Preparation for coaxing Hair to grow on bnld Parts
when worn off by illness, it being allowed by many who have tried
m&ny approved remedies, to fully answer the desired Purpose.
2l6
mSTORY OF ADVERTISING,
•
Likewise his Beautifying Paste for the Face, Neck, and HantYs, *o
well knovm (o the Ladies for giving a true Enamel to the Skin ; in pots
at los. 6d. In lesser pots at 5s. each. The above things to be had of
liim and nowhere else in England, next door to the Golden Star in
Lower Cross Street, Hatton Garden, HoIbom.^Xo less a quantity of
the composition can be had than one Ounce, nor of the prcparatioa
or paste than one Pot.
A'^. — Gibson in gold Letters OTer the Door.
That the practice of inserting " dummy" advertisements
for tlie purpose of drav'tng others had been adopted before
this, is sho^Ti by a caution inserted in the Public Advcrtistr
of January i, 1765, though why theatrical managers should
have objected to gratuitous publicity we cannot understand.
Misrepresentation of the title of a play to be performed
would rarely act detrimentally, while it would often be
beneficitil. Managers of the present day never object to
anything but adverse criticism in a newspaper, and this
affects them in various ways. Critics may be as favourable
as they like, but let them condemn a piece and they raise a
storm not easily allayed. The managerial feeling is then
shown at once. Sometimes the advertisement of the theatre
is summarily stopped, at others the usual first-night privilege
is suspended, and not rarely of late years letters have been
written and published showing how utterly biassed the
criticism has been. But not one of the whole theatrical
fraternity ever objects to a gratuitous advertisement. Even
a man who comes on with a message likes it, though he
in common with all the outsiders of "the profession"
affects to despise criticism, and will, on the slightest pro-
vocation, speak about well-known writers for the press
in a most contemptuous mannen But here is the adver^
tisement: — ■
THE Managers of Drury Lane think it proper to give notice that
Advertisements of their Tlays by their authority are published
only in this Paper and the Daily Courant, and that the Publishers of
all other Papers who presume to insert Advertisements of the
PlaySf can do it only by some surreptitious intelligence or hcari
THE EDUCATION COMPLETED. 217
which frequently leads them to commit gross Errors, u mentioning one
Play for another, falsely representing the Parts, etc, to the misinfonna-
tioa of the Town and ibe great detriment of the said Theatre.
As diflfercnt in style as it is distant in date and place of
publication is the next item which attracts our attention.
It looks suspiciously like a hoax, for though other New-
castle papers of the time have been rigorously searched, no
ncTi's is discovered of Mrs Bell having shared the fate
which is said to overtake all who pry unduly into the secrets
of the Craft for the purpose of making capital out of their
information. The advertisement appears in the Newcastle
Courani of January 4, 1770, and runs as follows ; —
'T*HIS is to acquaint the Public, That on Monday the first instant,
-^ being the Lodge (or Monthly Meeting) night of the Free and
Accepted Masons of the 22d Regiment, held at the Crown, near
Kewgate (Newcastle) Mrs Bell, the Landlady of the House, broke open
A Door (with a Poker) that had not been opened for some Years past,
by which means she got into an adjacent Room, made two Holes through
the Wall, and by that stratagem discovered the secrets of Masonry ; and
she, knowing herself to be the first Woman in the World that ever
found out the Secret, is willing to make it kncxwn to all her Sex. So
any Lady who is desirous of learning the Secrets of Free Masonry, by
applying to tliat well-leamed Woman (Mr& Bell that lived 1 5 years in
and about Newgate) may be instructed in all the Secrets of Masonry.
Coming back to London again, we find the following
announcement published in more papers than one. It is
well worthy of perusal, as giving a picture of the lone-
liness of Chelsea and its approaches a hundred years ago,
when it was a little outlying village, and when the whole
duty of a watchman was to evade by any and every
means in his power, contact with footpads, **high toby-
men," or burglars : —
Chelsea, Middlesex, Feb. 20, I770.
THE Inhobitnnts of the Parish of Chelsea, being desirous to pre-
vent, as for as in them lies, any Robl>cries or Felonies being
committed in the said Parish, do hereby give Notice, that they have
N
»
218 BiSTORY OF ADVERTISING,
entered into a Subscription, for tt Reward for the Discovery of Rob-
beries or Felonies, and have iberefore paid into the Hands of Mr
Edward Anderson, of Chelsea afotcioid, as Treasurer, a Sum dt
Money 10 answer the several Parpuses hereafter mentioned^ to sudi
Person or Persons who shall, daring the Space of one whole Year from
the Date hereof, apprehend or take any Offender or Offenders, as txti
herein after described, llie ficveral and respective Rewards hereafter
mentioned, in fourteen Days after Conviction, over and above what
such Person or Per^ions may be entitled unto by such Apprehendio
and Conviction by any Law now in Being.
For every Robbery that shall be committed by any Highwayman or-
Highwaymen, Footpad or Footpads, within the said Parish (except
that Part of the Parish and Road leading from London to Harrow oa^
the Hill, which belongs to the said Parish, the Sum of Ten Pounds.
For any Person or Pcrstons who shall break into the Dwelling House
of any Subscriber, or send any Incendiary Letter to any Subscriber,
the Sum of Ten Pounds.
Fur any Person or Persons who shall steal any Horse, Mare, Colt,
or other Cattle, belonging lo a Subscriber, or commit any Thefts of
Robberies in any of their Outhouses, ihe Sum of Five Poimds,
For every Theft or Robbery lliat shall be committed in any Garden,
Garden-Grounds, or Fields, Orchard, Court Yard, Backside or Fish-
ponds, or any Barge or Craft lying ashore, belonging lo any of the
Subscribers, or shall steal any of their Fruit, Poultry, Fish, Linen,
Ijead, Tron>Gate5, or Gate-Hinges, Pales, or Fences, the Sum of Forty h
Shillings. H
And the Subscribers do hereby promise lo pay and discharge the ^
vhole, or such Part of the F.xpencc of such Prosecution or Prosecutions
of the several Offences above-mentioned, as upon Application to any
iive or more of the Sal>scribers, at a Meeting called for that Purpose,
shall judge rea->onabIc.
And for the farther Encouragement of all and every the Person and
Persomr who shall apprehend and convict any Offender or Offenders in
any of the Offences aforenaid, the said Subscribcrbdo hereby promiM
to u&e their Endeavours for procuring the spee<1y Payment of such
Reward as such Person or Pcr&ons may be entitled to by any Law now
in Being.
And the said Subscribers do farther promise and agree, Tliat if any
Offenders shall, before his or her own Apprehension for any of the
Offences aforesaid, voluntarily discover, or apprehend any of his or
her Accomplices, so as he, she, or they, be convicted thereof, such
Person so apprehending as afore«iid, shall be entitled to, and have such
Reurard or Sums of Money as before provided for apprehending and
taking the said several Offenders as aforesaid, upon Conviction
r
I
I
A
THE EDUCATION COMPLETED, 219
Thepopularity of the Daily Couranizxi^ Public Advertiser
with the managers of Drury Lane Theatre seems to have
come to a sudden end in 1771, probably for the reasons we
bave noticed as affecting modem managerial bosoms, for in
the Didly Post this appears : —
TO prevent any Mistake in future in advertising the Flajrs and
entertainments of Drury Lane Theatre, the Managers think it
jmipeT to declare thid the Playbills are inserted by their direction in
tiiis Paper only.
The St Jame^s Chronicle (a weekly paper which is still
afive, and as strong in its Toryism as ever), in July 1772,
contains an advertisement which for coolness and audacity
is veiy noticeable, even at a time when requests were put
forth in the columns of the public press with most unblush-
ing effrontery : —
"1 IT ANTED immediately, Fifteen Hundred or Two Tliousand Pounds
■ ■ by a person not worth a Groat, who having neither Houses,
Lands, Annuities or public Funds, can offer no other Security than that
of simple Bond, bearing simple interest and engaging the Repayment of
the Snm borrowed in five, six or seven Yeai^, as may be agreed upon
by the Parties. Whoever this may suit (for it is hoped it will suit
somebody) by directing a line to A. Z. in Rochester, shall be imme-
diately replied to or waited on, as may appear necessary.
Benevolence must have been very strongly developed in
any one who acceded to the requests of A. Z. But that
there was a deal of that commodity afloat at the time of
which we are writing, our next specimen, one of disinterest-
edness and charity, shows. It is from the Gazetteer of
November 29, 1773 : —
A LADY of strict Honour and Benevolence, who lives in a genteel
sphere of Life, influenced by a variety of critical Circumstances,
offers her Service as an Advocate to Persons under the most intricate
Circumstances, especially to those of her ow n Sex, whose Troubles she
can with a secret Sympathy share, and who will point out certain Means
of alleviating their Distress. The Advertiser has a Genteel House to
accommodate such Persons, while their Affairs are settled. The greatest
320
JIISTOKY OF ADVERTISING,
•
Delicacy, Discretion, and most Inviolable Secrecf may be depended
Tliercfore to prevent being made the sport of Curiosity, ihc Advert
is determined to answer sucU Letters only that appear explicit and i
factory, with the Principal'a Name and Place of Abode. Please
address a line (ix>st paid) for Mrs Gladen, at Ko. 5 Church Re
Aldgate Church, Whilechapcl,
Especially those of her own sex. It would be hard
discover what any one of an opposite gender could want
resident with this nice old lady, unless indeed he wishe<
to put in practice the advice given to Nicodemus. But,
for money this benevolent beldame would have done any-
thing, there is little doubt she had plenty of visitors of
both sexes. It does not do, however, to be too hard on
Mrs Gladen, when it is considered that she h.is many highly
successful and extremely respectable representatives of the
present day. Wc therefore pass on to the latter part of
1774, when it is evident, from a perusal of the advertisements
alone, that a general election is impending. In September
we find this in the Monting Post: —
A GENTLEMAN of Character and considerable Fortune is ex-
tremely desirous of a High Honoijr at an approaching Period.
Any one who can assist him, or point out an eligible means of succeeding,
Bhall be amply recompensed both at present and in future. — In shoru^_
name your Terras ; secrecy is all required on his part. A Line lo M^H
Dormer, at No. 24 Ludgate Hill, will be attended to. ^^
The Morning Post seems to have been a particular
medium for the process by which legislators were made
in the "good old days" — good enough for the rich and
unscrupulous, of course — for very shortly afterwards many
of the same kind appear. The following stipulates the
amount, and with true unselfishness recommends the candi-
date : —
A GENTLEMAN of Honour, Character, and Forttine, who li
^'1,500 at his Bankers\ has some desire to obtain a Scat
connection with him will do no discredit lo any Man of Rank, or Body
of Men. As he is serious, be expects no Application but from sach a*
are so, to Q. at New Lloyd's Coflec-housc, Comhill.
I
THE EDUCATION COMfLETED.
22f
One who follows is much more generous, so far as money
is concerned, though he lacks the disinterested recom-
mendation of Q. Still as money and not mind is the desi-
deratum among election agents, there is little fear that the
chances were in favour of W. W., though doubtless there
was room enough found at St Stephen's for both. Room
for two ! room for two hundred who had money with which
to pave their way : —
A GENTLEMAN of independent fortune is ready to give three
**- Thousand Cjuineas to be accommodated with a certain purpose to
answer the advertuer's end at this Crisis. Any one inclined to treat
about the above, may be further informed by Line, or otherwise, diiected
for W. W., at George's Coffee-house, upper end of the HaymorfccL.
It must not be supposed that the advertisements in
reference to the elections emanated only from persons
desirous of writing themselves down M.P.'s. There were
plenty anxious as well as willing to assist them for a con-
sideration. From many of that time we select one, still
taking the Aforuwg Post as our guide : —
ANY Man of Fortune or Family wishing to enjoy an Ilonourahle
■**• Station for*even Years, and to accomplish it without the anxiety
which generally accotnjj^^nics the attaining it by Contention, may pro-
bably be accommodated to the utmost of his Wishes, by addressing
himself to C. C. to be left at the bar of the Chapter Coffee-house,
Paternoster Row, and disclosing his Name, the which he may do without
the ruk of being divulged, as the advertiser pledges himself that the
most inviolable Delicacy and Secrecy will be observed.
We commend the foregoing to the notice of the gentle-
men who talk of Conservatism as the bulwark of the nation,
jind rejoice over any so-called political reaction. How-
ever, as Conservatism now means " dishing the Whigs" by
the most advanced measures, we cnn put up with it, and so
pass on to another specimen from the Aformng Post^ wluch
is published at the same time as the foregoing, and is found
snugly ensconced among tliose of quite a diflferent ten-
dency : —
I
222
21IST0RY OF ADVERTISISG.
A YOUNG Gcfilleinan of ihe most liberal educalion and a genteel
Address, would be happy in having an opportunity of dcvotii
his services to a Lady of real fashion and forume, who may wish to hai
some particular deficiencies thoroughly supplied, without subjectjf
herself to any disagreeable restraint. Any lady to whom such an
may be suitable, will receive the fullest Explanation, in answer to a
letter addressed to A. X. Turk's head Co0ce House, Strand.
We will leave this without ftirthcr comment than the
expression of a sad idea that .this young gentleman knew
what was marketable, as well as a belief that he and others
like him may have done much to prevent the titles and
fortunes of noblemen and gentlemen who married late in
life from passing to remote branches. We have no wish to
intrude our opinions, which are strong as our faith in
human nature is weak, but the advertisement is only %
specimen of many others, and, like its congeners, appc
in one of the highest class daily papers of the time. Fol
are not so outspoken now as was the fashion a hundre
years ago, yet is there any one who will venture to state
that we are more virtuous? It will be the natural impulse
of many who read the next advertisement, which is also
from the now fashionable and severely virtuous Post (date
January 21, 1775), to cry out against the unnatural guardian
who offers to sell his ward. Perhaps though, if they lake
time to reflect, they may remember instances of marriage
for money, which^ if not so public, were quite as iniquitous-
Listen to a gentleman of honour of the last century : —
'4
A GENTLEMAN of Honour and Property, havinij in his dispoi
■**• at present a young Lady of good Family, with a fortune of Sis
Sixc
Thousand Pounds, on her Marriage with his approbation, would bcvi
happy to treat with a >faD of Fashion and Family, who may think
worth hi-t while to give the Advertiser a Gratuity of Five thousand
pounds on the day of Marriage. As this is no common ndvcniMmcnt,
it is expected no Gentleman will apply whose Family and Conneciiuns
win not bear the strictest enquiry. The Advertiser liaving always livi
retired from tlie World, immersed in business, ia unacquainted wit
those of that Rank of Life that the Lady's fortune enlitiet fact to
mifV
THE EDUCA TION COMFLE TED. 223
connected with, for which reason he has made this public application.
Letters addressed to L. M., at Tom's Cofice House, Devereux Court,
aeu* the Temple, mentioning real Name, and places of Abode, will
pnnctTully be attended to.
This is not so bad for a poor innocent who has lived
retired from the world. And doubtless, though he was
unacquainted with those of that rank of life to which a lady
with sixty thousand pounds might well aspire, he was not
to be deceived by even the most specious of fortune-hunters,
Irishmen included. But here is another notice quite as
interesting, though of a very different kind. It is also from
the Morning Post, and appears a few days after that we
have chosen to precede it : —
To the Ladies on Money Affairs.
WHEREAS there are sundry Ladies who have Two, Three, or
Four thousand pounds, or even more Money at their command,
and who, from not knowing how to dispose of the same to the greatest
advantage, but by living on the Small Interests which the stocks pro-
duce, afford them but a scanty Maintenance, especially to those who
have been accustomed to Affluence, and would wish to live so still ;
the Advertiser (who is a Gentleman of independent Fortune, strict
Honour and Character, and above any other rewartl than the pleasure
of serving the Sex) acquaints such Ladies, that if they will favour him
with their Name and Address, so as he may wait on them as oppor-
tunity best suits, he will put them into a Method by which ihey may,
without any Trouble, and with an absolute Certainty, place out their
Money, so as for it to produce tlicm a clear and lawful interest of Ten
or Twelve per cent, and that too on equally as good and safe Securities
AS if in the Funds, or on Mortgage at the common "low inlerest, etc.
Please to direct to R. J. Esq. at the Turks Head Coffee hoiwr,"
opposite Catharine Street, in the Strand, and the same will be duly
attended to.
There was no Associate Institute then to look after the
interests of unprotected females; and perhaps if there had
been, so plausible a rogue would not have attracted the
attention of its highly paid officials. But the " weaker
vessels" seem able to take tlieir own parts at advertising,
224 HISTORY OF ADVERTISrNG,
for the following is by no means a unique specimen of their
effusions. Once again we draw from the Morning Post^ the
date being December 15, 1775 : —
A LADY wishes to borrow One Hundred Pounds. The Security,
•**- iliougli personal, may probably be very agreeable to a single
Gentleman of spirit. Every particular will be communicated with
Candour and Sincerity, where confidence is so far reposed as to give ihc
real Name and Address of the party willing to oblige the Advcrtiafr.
Gentlemen of real Fortune and liberal Sentiments, and those only, are
requested to address a line to V. N. at Mr Dyke's, Cross Street,
Long- Acre.
This lady was modest as well as candid and sincere ; it
is to be hoped she was pretty also, or else she had small
chance. But now comes not virtue but honours in dis-
tress, and sufficiently hungry to be satisfied with very dirty
pudding. In our own times baronets have seen unpleasant-
nesses ; we remember one who used to do casual report-
ing, fires, accidents, coroners' inquests, &c.j and another
who took lo the stage, unsuccessfully. But he who adver-
tised in the Daily Advertiser of January 23, 1776, was
worse off than any titled successor. Judge for your-
selves : —
MATRIMONY.
For Fifty Pounds only, may gain One Hundred and Forty Thousand.
A BARONET of Great Britain, that has an eligible chance and right
in thirteen distinct Claims to speedily recover the above Sum, or
to expect part by a Compromise, inforced by a very little Assistance, will
marry any Woman, though with Child, or having Children by a former
Husband, that will put such a Fifty-pound ticket in such Lottery j the
icmainder of her Money, if any, will be settled upon her ; hi^ perwn may
not be objected to, and her Attorney may iiberally inspect Writings, &c.
which in form set forth his expectancies perspicuously; and any young
Counsel or others may gain an Advantage, even a Fortune, by offering
■ small benevolent Assistance. Direct fur the Baronet, at No. s, near
Blenheim Step.?, in Oxford St., opposite Oxford Market, who has als*) a
profession that may be made very advantagcouK for any new Adventurer
in the physical way, that has a little money to join with him as %.
Partner. A patient hearing will obviate all Objection, and the strictcdjt,
Secrecy and Honour may be depended on.
%
THE EDUCATION COAffLETED, 22%
It is noticeable that *' the Baronet," like those of his rank
already referred to, was not above turning his hand to earn
an honest penny. A little way back we invited the atten-
tion of Conservatives to an edifying extract ; may we now
dedicate the baronet's appeal to those who would abolish
the laws of primogeniture? Let them be advised in time,
unless they should wish to see a duke reduced to de-
spondency, or an earl holding horses for his living. No
matter what happens to younger sons. Let ihera and their
younger sons be swallowed up in the middle and lower
classes, as they are now, though nobody seems to notice it;
but let us preserve, no matter who else suffers, our titled
aristocracy in its present exalted position. But what is
to become of the scions of nobility who have no claim
upon landed estate, when nepotism ceases to existj sine-
cures are abolished, and all Government clerkships are
matter of open competition ! Frankly wc do not know,
but doubtless Providence will always be tenderly disposed
towards persons of good family. Turning once more lo
the Morning Post (February 15, 1776), we come upon an
announcement the merits of which are hard to determine.
It promises rather too much : —
FEMALE COMPANION.
ALADV of independent Fortune rinU liberal Sentiments would 1>e
glad if, in procuring to herself an cgrecftble Companion she could
mt the same time relieve from Distress, and perhaps prevent from utter
K.uin, some still deserving although imfortunale fair one ; for she can
make allowance for the frailty of her own Sex, and knows tlie base ar:s
e»f Ihc other i in a word, a sin^^U /iiux pas will be no objection, pro-
vided there remnin a virLuous Disposttton, and thai the person wanted
be £Ood>natured, affable, and sincere in the account she may give of
herself, which for that purpose may at first t>e anonymous. She mubt
also possess the usual occomplishmcnts required by a good Education ;
know something of Music, have an agreeable Voice, and a genteel Per-
son, nut under twenty nor above the age of twenty-five years. Such as
come within this description may apply by Ict.er to B. D. at the York
Coffee House, St James's Street, and the apparently most deserving will
be enquired after. No kept Mistress or lady of Pleasure need npply.
r
236
ws rox y of ad veh tis/ng.
There seems more of the procuress than the patron aboi
this; still there is no knowing what ihe taste of an elderl]
single lady who fancied herself injured by the opposite
would not lead her to do. So leaving the question open/
and trusting the reader will be able to satisfy himself as to
the purity or the reverse of the advertiser's motives, we will
pass on to Lloyd's Evening Post, in which, about the same
lime, we find the following, which is worthy of notice : —
MONEY wanted— when it can l>e procured— ^^loo. No security
can be given for the Pnncipait and possibly the Interest may not
be punctually paid. Under the nbove circumstances should any one
be found willing to lend llie desired Sum, he will much surprise^ and
particularly obligi the author of this advertisement. — Direct for A. B. C.
George's Caffcchouse, I^iaymotkct.
.
Even the "author" of this, confiJcnt and assured as he
must be generally, seems to doubt the readiness of people
to part with their money without some inducement, no
matter how slight If A. B. C had offered something impos-
sible of fulfilment in return for the desired loan, he would
very likely have had many applications, whereas it would
be hard to believe that in the present instance he had even
one. Now, if he had adopted a plan similar to that which
is advertised in the Mur/iiftg CVz/wnV/^ of April 9, 1776, he
would have had a much better chance of raising the wind-
This must have arrested the attention and diverted the
current of pocket-money of many young lovers: —
AFFECTION.
I
ANY Lady or Gentleman who has made an honourable Connection^
•'*■ may be acquainted if the other party has a reciprocal Affection ;
and so nice is the method, that it gives in a great measure the degree
of esteem. No fortune -telling, nor anything tricing in it, but ts a
serious and sincere Procedure. To divest any apprehension of dis>
covery of parties, the initials of their names is sufficient. That the
meaning of the advertiser may be ascertained, it is only asked for A.
to know if C. D. has a genuine affection ; and of C. D. tf A, B. h
the like. It is requested that honest Initials be sent, else the det>oiiit
THE EDUCATION COMPLETED. 227
of two shillings and uxpence is useless. But to convince those that
•end for the intelligence of the use of this, they need only to send with
the real, other Initials indifferent to them, and they will be satisfied.
Absence or distance does not al»ite the certainty of the then present
Esteem and Affection.
Letters (free) directed to S. J., No. 1 1, Duke-street, Grosvenor Square,
will have honest answers left there, or sent conformable to the address,
in ft day or two after their Receipt,
The next advertisement we find in our collection savours
less of affection, for the desire of the inserter seems to be
to prevent some one to whom he has an objection inherit-
ing entailed estates. It has its value, in addition to what
consideration may be given to it as a specimen of the man-
ners of the last century, as showing the kind of people who
then made the laws. Decency must have made a decided
advance, look at it from what point we will, since April 16,
1776, when this appeared in the Public Advertiser : —
A GENTLEMAN who hath filled two succeeding seats in Parlia<
ment, is near sixty years of age, lives in great splendour and
hospitality, and from whom a considerable Estate must pass if he dies
without issue, hath no objection to marry any Widow or single Lady,
provided the party be of genteel birth^ polite manners, and five, six,
seven, or eight Months gone in her Pregnancy.
Letters directed to Brecknock, Esq., at Will's Coffee House,
facing the Admiralty, will be honoured with due attention, secrecy, and
every possible mark of respect.
In the Daily Advertiser of July, in the same year, we
find the following, which, though of a much more legitimate
character than that just quoted, and directed to the interests
of fair and honest trading, will repay perusal : —
TWO Men beg leave to acquaint the Public in general that they
keep the cleanest Barber's Shop in all London, where the people
can have their Hair cut for 2d., dressed for 3d., and be shaved for id.
One of these Men can bleed and draw teeth very well ; he bleeds both
in the English and German manner, as well at home as abroad, and is
exceeding careful. Bleeding 3d.^ drawing teeth 4d. There is a parlour
238
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
i
made in the shop on purpoM for bleeding and drawing teeth,
people may depend on being served immediately and well in evt
respect. No satisfaction, no pay. The above-mcationed Shop is
Ko. 7 King Street, Seven Dials.
Bleeding nowadays is still done by barbers, though no
in the same way, nor so scientifically, as practised by th<
two clean shopkeepers of King Street. Shaving as a high
art is neglected nowadays, a state of affairs traceable to the
beard and moustache movement of the last twenty years,
which has rendered shaving below the attention of true
artists, who now give their attention to "cutting and curl-
ing," &c. Any one who doubts this had better trust himself
to the untender mercies of half-a-dozen different barbers, in
ordinary thoroughfares, and where the prices are fixed at
ordinary rates. Before he has tried the sixth establishment
he will not only have conformed to our views, but will be
a considerably altered, if not an improved, man. In the
Moruiug Post of October 13, 1778, we come across an |
appeal to the short-sighted, which is worthy of the tribes of
welchers who in our own times have made large fortunes
through advertising in the columns of the sporting papers.
This must have been something like the ** discretionary
investment" dodge, which brought in large sums to swind-
ling firms who professed to govern the turf a few years back,
and whose advertisements occupied whole coluiuns in the
newspapers : — ^|
A Serious though SuRrarsiNC Offer,
FOR the compliment of One Hundred Guineas, any enterprizing
Gentleman or Lady may have revealed lo them an eligible
method of convening hundreds into Thousands, in a few weeks, and of
continuing so to do yearly. The requiring so inadequate a considenLi>^|
Uon, is iKcause the proposer is under misfortunes. Only letters witlr^
real nnmes and residencies will be regarded. Direct for W. W., at the
Kind's Bench Coffee- 1 louse.
In the early part of 1778 (May 7) the MamingPost con-
tained the following appeal for an article which has beea
THE EDUCATION COMPLETED. 229
ercr since the world begas, which is not valued
ichwhen possessed, and which is ibout the last thing one
could hope to obtain through the niedmm of an advertise-
loent, no nia^tter how cunningly contrived^ nor how great
^Ihe drcnktion of the papei in which it appeared : —
WAJJTED hnmeduUelf^ the moit difficttlt ihlng to be met with in
the worldp A StNCKlE Fri£NI>, by a person, who, though in
meridian of life, has outtived all b« had. He wishes to meet with a
Fenon in whom lie may repose the most implicit Confidence ; a Person
vho has a good heart, and abilities (o second that goodness of heart ;
who wUI give hie advice cotdially, and assistance rcadity. The adver-
tUei- is a person in a genteel situation or life ; has a decent income, but.
is ^l pr^eni ^o drcumstoQced a* to want a sincere friend. — Any Person
willing (from principles of Friendshipp not Curiosity) to reply to the
above, by directing a line to T. S., at Mr SharpV, stationer, facing
Somerset HoasCj SttKtvd^ wUi be immediately waited on or properly
replied tdr
Money, the sincerest of all friends, is probably the object
of T, S.*s ambition. If he was not suited in the year '78,
fta opportunity occurred soon after; for specially directed
to the cupidity of persons who desire to get money, and
are not at all particular what the means so long as the end
is attained, is the following, which appears in the Mortiing
Fpst of March 1 779 : —
A GENTLEMAN of Fortune, whom Family reasons oblige to drop
a connection which has for some time subsisted between him and
an agreeable young Lady, will give a considerable sum of Money with
her to any Gentleman, or person in genteel Business, who has good
•enie and resolution to despise the censures of the World, and will enter
vrith her into the Holy state of Matrimony. Letters addressed to Mr
G. "VL, at the Cecil Street CoSee-House, will be paid due attention to.
As this kind of arrangement has not yet fallen into
desuetude, although the aid of advertisements is no longer
invoked for it, we had better not give an opinion about its
moiality» though it is but fair to admit that if the system of
telluQg soiled goods, of which the foregoing is an example,
^
230 HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
had but been out of date, we should have been loud in our
objections. For no vice is so bad as one that has exploded,
and the weaknesses which we can regard willi complacency
while they are current, cause strong emotions of disgust
when, their day being over, we look back upon them, an
wonder how people could have been so extremely wicke
About the same lime, and in the same paper, is another
application of a peculiar nature, though in this instance the
advertiser wishes not to part with, but to obtain a similar
commodity to that advertised by G. H. This is it : —
I
^
A SINGLE Gentleman of Fortune, who lives in a genteel private styl<
is desirous of meeting with an agreeable genteel young Lady,
from 20 lo 30 years of age, not older, to superintend and lake ujion'
her tlic management of his House and Servants, for which slic will b«
comjilimented with hoftrd^ &c. As the situation will be quite genlcci
it will not suit any but such who has had a liberal Education, and «-h<
has some independance of her own, so as lo enable her al\vnys lo appear'
very gcnLcel, and as a rcla'ion or particular friend, in which character
she will always be esteemed, and have every respect paid her, so as to^H
render the situation and every thing else as agreeable as possible |H
Any lady inclining lo the above, will please to direct wtlli name and'
address, to M. IL Lsq., to be left at No. 7, the Bookseller's, in Gr«at
Newport Street, near St Martin's Lane ; she will be waited on, or
wrote to, but with tbe greatest delicacy, and every dqjree of strict honour
and secrecy. -^m
Strict honour and secrecy seems to be an essential to the^
siiccessful completion of the designs of many advertisers of
this time, but they are to be all on one side, in company
with an amount of blind credulity which would be wonderful^
if it were not repeatedly exhibited in modem days. Her^H
is an honourable and secret venture which appears in the
^/tf^«///g- /'(^j/ of December 17, 1779, and which was doubt-
less very successful : —
A GENTLE^L\N who knows a Method which reduces it almott
■**■ lo a certainty lo obtain a very considerable sum. by insuring of
Numbers In Ibe Lottery, is advised by his Friends to oSer to communi-
I
A
THE EDUCATION COMPLETED, 231
cate it to tbose who visb to speculate in that Way. The advantage
that U procured by proceeding according to his Principles and Directions,
trill be plainly demonstrated and made perfectly evident to any who
diuse* to be infonned of it. The terms are Ten Guineas each person,
and they must engage not to discover the plan for the space of eighteen
months. If those who are willing to agree to the above terms will
be pleased to address a line to J- R. C. at the Union Coffee-House,
Corahill, or the York Coffee House, St James's Street, they will be
immediately informed where to apply. Those who have lost money
already (by laying it out improperly) insuring of Numbers, may soon be
convinced how much it will be to their advantage to apply as above.
N.B. — This advertisement will be inserted in this morning's Paper
only.
A suspicious person would have fancied that the friends
of J. R. C, unless they were dissimilar from other friends,
would have used the information for their own benefit — but
generous and self-abnegating people do turn up in history
in the most unexpected and unaccountable ways. Another
specimen of the secret and honourable kind, though in it the
secrecy and honour have to be on the side of the advertiser,
follows. It is in the Morning Post, April 18, 1780, and
runs thus : —
ANY Lady whose Situation may require a Temporary Retirement, may
■**- be accommodated agreeable to her wishes in the house of a Gentle-
man of eminence in the Profession, where honour and secrecy may be
depended on, and where every vestige of Pregnancy is obliterated; or
any Lady who wishes to become Pregnant may have the causes of
sterility removed in the safest manner. Letters (Post-paid) addressed
to A. B. No. 23, Fleet Street, will be attended to.
A. B. offers a double convenience, the second item in
which is well worthy of note. The house must have been
somewhat similar, except that the accommodation was for
human beings, to those establishments advertisements in
connection with which frequently appear in the sporting and
agricultural papers. Much about the same date as the speci-
men just quoted appears another of quite a different kind,
inserted in several journals. It is rather unique as a way
2y.
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
of reminding customers that life is short and debt is long
and is suspiciously sartorial : —
To WHOM IT MAY CONCERN.
T3ICHARD Guy returns thanks to all his good old Friends forthdr
''^ *- kind Recommendation, which he wilt always acknowledge with
gratitude, by being ready to oblige them on all occasions, but earnestly
desires to settle Accounts, to pay and to be paid ; which he hopes will
be of satiKfaction to both parties ; for as it is fully observed, ihoit
Reckonings keep long Friends; so to preserve good friendship and pre-
vent disputes in Accompts he always pays ready Money, that is doing
as he would be done unto.
N,B. — He courts neither Honour nor Riches, his whole and so!
motive being to senre his good old Friends ; the sin of Ingratitude
utterly abhors.
1
I
ng I
4
^
The shameless manner in which sinecures in Govern-
ment offices were bought and sold even so late as 17S1 is
shown by the following specimen advertisement, which is
taken from the Mifrm/i£: Herald o{ September 22 : —
A GENTLEMAN of Character who wishes for some Employ nnder
•^~*- Government merely for the sake ol Amusement, would be willing
to advance any Nobleman or Gentleman the sum of Three Thousand
Pound.*, upon Mortgage, upon legal Interest, provided the Mortgager
will, thro' his Interest, procure a place in any genteel Department,
where the emoluments are not le<%s than two or three hundred Pounds
fifrartHum. The Advertiser flatters himself this will not be deemed
an ineligible Offer, if compared with tlie present mode of raising Money
upon Annuities ; as a. gentleman must be obliged to grant five hundred
/vr annum out of his income to raise the like Sum. If any Gentleman
who may be inclined to answer this Advertisement docs not know of
any Vacancy, the Advertiser will point out several, which maybe easily
procured by interest. A line addressed to S. X. to \k left at the bar
of the Chillier Coffee-house, St Paul's, will be attended to. Secrecy
may be dejicnded on. No Broker will be treated with.
Those were happy times, indeed, when no such vulgar
thing as merit was allowed to interfere with a man's upward
progress in life, provided he possessed capital, which could
always secure him good interest in more ways than one
v.
THE EDUCATION COMPLETED.
233
^foney was at full value then, and the following, from the
Morning Post of October 18, 17S1, is one among many
endeavours to obtain it in larger or smaller quantities ; —
^17ANTED immediately, or as soon as can be met wilh, that
* * invaluable acquisition (when once gained) A Sincere Friend,
by a person who in the early part of his life had mrvny ; but who, from
the all-powerful hand of Death ami other fortuitous incidents, has been
deprived of all those whom he could once call by that sacred Name,
and to whom he could apply either for Counsel or Assistance. The
author of this Advertisement la a Middlc-nged man, in a genteel situa-
tion of Life, a Housekeeper, has a decent Income, but yet. is so circum-
■tflDced as to have a particular occasion fnr Finw^ or SIXTY Pounds
for a Year and a half or thereabouts. He wishes therefore to meet with
a Person of liberal and generous Sentiments, who would assist him with
the above trifling Sum, lie flattens himself he can make the roo>Je
cf payment quite agreeable to any Gentleman, Lady, or Tradesman of
credit, who may 1>e induced to answer this advertisement from a motive
arising from tlic secret satisfaction there is in rendering a Service. —
A line directed for S. E., and left at ihc Morning Post Office, will be
immediately attended to.
In 1785 was established the Daily Universal Repsicr^ a
paper which was, under a new title, adopted in 1788, to
develop into the greatest and most powerful organ in the
world. On the ist of January, in the last-named year, the
^^^■^/V/^ appeared with the following heading: The Times ^
or Daily Univrrsa! Re<^5ter^ printed Logographically . The
price was threepence, and for many years the Times gave
no promise of future greatness ; but it was always fearless,
and very early was fined, while its editor narrowly escaped
imprisoninent. In 1790 Mr Walter was actually incarcer-
ated in Newgate, where he remained sixteen months,
besides being lined ^200, for a libel on the Dukes of Vork
and Clarence. He was released eventually at the inter-
cession of the Prince of Wales. The history of the Times
has been told so often tliat particulars are hardly needed
here ; but as showii>g how its present eminence is due to
nothing but perseverance and integrity, as well as the ever-
i
I
?54
mSTOKY OF ADVERTJ^ING,
present desire to be first wherever possible, we quote ihc
following from a sliort notice of the life of one of its proprie-
tors : " It was under John Walter II., bom in 1 784, that the
Times rose to the place of the first newspaper in the world,
Whilst yet a youth, in 1803 he became joint proprietor and
sole manager of the TittuSj and very soon his hand became
manifest in the vigour and independence of its politics,
and the freshness of its news. Free speech, however, had
its penalties. The Times denounced the malpractices of
Lord Melville, and the Government revenged itself by
withdrawing from the Walters the office of printers to the
Customs, which had been held by the family for eightcea
years. During the war between Napoleon and Austria in
1805, the desire for news was intense. To thwart the
Tiwes the packets for Walter were stopped at the outports,
while those for the ministerial journals were hurried 10
Ix)ndon. Complaint was made, and the reply was givea^
that the editor might receive his foreign papers as a/tj?v»r»"M
meaning thereby that if the Government was gracious to
the Times, the Times should be gracious to the Govern-
ment ; but Walter would accept no favour on such terms.
Thrown on his own resources, he contrived, by means of
superior activity and stratagem, to surpass the ministry in
early intelligence of events. The capitulation of FlushinJ^«
in August 1809, was announced by the Times two daysfl
before the news had arrived through any other channel.
In the editorship of the paper he spared neither pains nor
expense. The best writers were employed, and wherever
a correspondent or a reporter displayed marked ability, h«H
was carefully looked after and his faculty utilised. CorJ|
respondents were posted in every great city in the world,
and well-qualified reporters were despatched to every scene
of public interest. The debates in Parliament, law pro-
ceedings, public meetings, and commercial affairs, were all
reported with a fulness and accuracy which filled readers
with wonder. What a visionary could scarcely dare to a«k|
THE
^y,'
TIMES
Lr££^r=:£r25c
I ■■ -ntr ^ rj ./^ ^~^ \!^i»:.~iT ' ^»i Ww-wVw^^^
«lCTU<t.LI*C Of'IC*
• aiv rurt aim
^^^
[■■■Ma* ^ttjjKjt^*
.-or
;&',rx*.
r« «• iirr
■k o. M V y.— p»^. -ij >J b ^iH
rV !■■■ <r*Ciii* ■••*•«
>w->-> Av... ruL « »,-.> a«>.k<
■ ■I* •, ■ — - T~*" — * t —■ ■^ . 'A* ■• * K I* >»g I M^ ■■ art*
««it:[';jr ff/fl konut
>■ ^ uti« mill k-KstB wtaM
u«aA'
^|vaM«*noDt0 w oo a^ •>
r ■■ *_ ^ ■ IW * ap^T-ri
JAM If Mil— B K »BHi»^ *^3l
ii«vr epffici.
TWtr>-i-fi#.-, .^r ^r**
l« V t u > f iCI
>«' -« u ^.^ . .J .*«» a j^
E«rt, at* a^ ^2. i*^ tf *. ^
- - "i ■ -I I r-j I T ■ I I II
■Mtl*»l« II ■! — I flt—^
4- j*- Tfc ■W.^wrt^ uw
III 1^ 1 1 in I ■.^^■I^taMwi
ilg
THE EDUCATION COMPLETED, 235
Ihc Tim^s gave. To other journals imitation alone was
left. They might be more consistent politicians, but in
iJje staple of a newspaper, to be nearly as good as the
Times was their highest praise."
So much for the early struggles of the ** Thunderer ''—a
title given to it from the powerful articles contributed to it
by Edward Stirling- — and as its later efforts in the cause of
justice are sliown in the Times scholarships at Oxford, as
its very appearance betokens its vast importance, and as
its history has been given by many much abler pens than
ours, we will return to our subject.
In 179S, a house in Stanhope Street having been broken
open and robbed, the following singular announcement
•was issued by the proprietor, and appeared in the Daily
Advertiser : —
ly^^ R. R of Stanhope Street, presents his most respectful Com-
■l-' -*■ plimcnts to the Gentlemen who did him the honour of eating a
ouple (»f roasted Chickens, drinkinfj sundry tankards of ale, and three
botllex of old Madeira at his house, on Monday night.
In their haste they took away the Tankard, to which they are heartily
welcome ; to the Tablespoons and the li^ht Guineas which were in an
old red murocco puckct*book, they are also heartily welcome ; but in
the said Pocket-book there u'ere several loose Papers, which consisted
of private Memorandums, Receipts, etc. can be of no use to his kind
and friendly Visitors, but are important to him : he therefore hopes
and tnists they will be so polite as to take some opportunity of re-
turning them.
For an old family Watch, which was in the same Drawer, he cannot
Ask on the same terms ; but if any could he pointed out by which he
could replace it with twice as mnny heavy Guineas as they can get fur
it, he would gladly be the Purchaser. W. K.
A few nights after, a packet, with the fallowing letter
enclosed, was dropped into the area of the house: "Sir, —
You are qtiite a gemman. Not being used to your Madeira,
it got into our upper works, or we should never have
cribbed your papers; they be all marched back again with
Ihe red book. Your ale was mortal good ; the tankard
23*
///SrOA'V Of ADVERTISING,
and spoons were made into a white soup, in Dulce's Pla
two hours afore daylite. The old family watch cas
were at the same time made into a brown gravy, and
guts, new christened, are on their voyage to Holland,
they had not been transported, you should have them agai;
for you are quite the gemman ; but you know, as they have
been christened, and got a new name, they would no longer
be of your old family. And see, sir, we have notiiing more
to say, but that we are much obligated to you, and shall
be glad to sarve and visit you, by nite or by day, and are
your humble sarvants to command."' Honour had then,
it would appear, not quite departed from among thieves.
At the end of last century a provincial attorney advertised
an estate for sale, or to be exchanged for another, stating
that he was appointed Plenipotentiary to treat in the busi-
ness ; that he had ample credentials^ and was prepared to
ratify his pmvers ; that he would enter into preliminaries
cither upon the principle of the slatti quo or uti possiddis ;
that he was ready to receive ihe project of any x>erson
desirous to make the purchase or exchange, and to deliver
his eontre projet and sine qit'h non, and, indeed, at once giv
his ultimatum^ assuring the public that as soon as zdefiniii
treaty should be concluded^ it would be ratified by his con
slituent and duly guaranteed. He was evidently astonish
at his own unexpected importance.
Some curious and amusing statistics of advertising in th
second year of this century are given by Mr Daniel .Stuart» at
one time co-proprietor of the Afomin^ Post \w\i}\ Coleridge,
when it was in the meridian of its fame. He says: "Th(
Morning Herald and the TimeSy then leading papers, w
neglected, and the Morning Post, by vigilance and activi
rose rapidly. Advertisements flowed in beyond bounds. I
encounqed the small miscellaneous advertisements in the
front page, preferring them to any others, upon the rule that
the more numerous the customers, the more independent
and permanent the custom. Besides numerous and various
he™
at
THE EDUCATION COMPLETED,
437
advertisements, I interest numerous and various readers look-
ing out for employment, servants, sales, and purchasers, etc
etc. Advertisements act and react. They attract rcaders,pro-
iDote circulation, and circulation attracts advertisements. The
Daily Advertiser^ which sold to the public for twopence half-
penny, after paying a stamp-duty of ihree-halfpence, never had
more than half a column of news ; it never noticed Parlia-
ment, but it had the best foreign intelligence before the French
Revolution. The Daily Advertiser lost by its publication,
but it gained largely by its advertisements, with which it was
crammed full. Shares in it sold by auction at twenty years*
purchase. I recollect my brother Peter saying, that on pro-
posing to a tradesman to lake shares in a new paper, lie
was answered with a sneer and a shake of the head — * Ah !
none of you can touch the Daily I ' It was the paper of
business, filled with miscellaneous advertisements, con-
ducted at little expense, very profitable, and taken in by all
public-houses, coffee-houses, etc.» but by scarcely any
private families. It fell in a day by the scheme of Grant,
a printer, which made all publicans proprietors of a rival,
the Morning Advertiser^ the profits going to a publicans'
benefit society; and they, of course, took in their own paper ;
— an example of the danger of depending on any class.
Soon after I joined the Morning Posi^ in the autumn of
1795, Christie, the auctioneer, left it, on account of its low
sale, and left a blank, a ruinous proclamation of decHne.
But in 1S03 he came to me again, praying for readmission.
At that time particular newspapers were known fco possess
particular classes of advertisements: llie Morning Post,
horses and carriages ; the Public Ledger^ shipping and sales
of wholesale foreign merchandise ; the Morning Herald and
Times, auctioneers ; the Morning Chronicle, books. AU
papers had all sorts of advertisements, it is true, but some
were more remarkable than others for a particular class,
and Mr Perry, who aimed at making the Morning Chronicle
a very literary paper, took pains to produce a striking dis-
N
23S J//S70RY OF ADVERTISING,
play of book advertisements. This display had sometnm^
more solid for its object than vanity. Sixty or seventy shon
advertisements, filling ihrce columns, by Longman, one day,
by Cadell, etc., another — * Bless me, what an extensive
business they must have!' The auctioneers to this day
stipulate to have all their advertisements inserted at once,
that they may impress the public with great ideas of their
extensive business. They will not have them dribbled ou^
a few at a time, as the days of sale approach. The jomi
have of bte years adopted the same rule with the sam^
design. They keep back advertisements, fill up will
pamphlets, and other stuff unnecessary to a newspaper|_
and then come out with a swarm of advertisements in
double sheet to astonish their readers, and strike them wil
high ideas of the extent of their circulation, which atti
so many advertisers. The meagre days are forgotten, tl
days of swarm arc remembered."
In the same gossiping manner Stuart speaks again of this
rage for swarming advertisements : *' The booksellers and
others crowded to the Mornin^^ Pcst^ when its circulation and
character raised it above all competitors. Each was desir-
ous of having his cloud of advertisements inserted at once
in the front page. I would not drive away the short, miscel-
laneous advertisements by allowing space to be monopolised
by any class. When a very long advertisement of a column
or two came, I charged enormously high, that it miglit be
taken away without the parties being able to say it was
refused admission. I accommodated the booksellers as w(
as I could with a few new and pressing adverusements
a time. That would not do : they would have the cloud!
then, said I, there is no place for the cloud but the 1;
page, where the auctioneers already enjoy that privilege. ,
The booksellers were affronted, indignant. The last p^igejH
To obtain the accommodation refused by the Morning Pos^^
they set up a morning paper, the British Press; and to op-
pose the Cdttrier, an evening one — the Globe, Possessed
tsas
la^^
THE EDUCATION COMPLETED, 239
general influence among literary men, could there be a
doubt of success ?" The Glebe has stood the test of time,
and though it has seen vicissitudes, and has changed its
politics within recent years, it now seems as firmly estab-
lished as any of its contemporaries that is independent of
connection with a morning paper.
_ We have now reached the end of our journey so far as the
education of advertisers and the development of advertise-
ments are concemeiL By the commencement of the present
century matters were very nearly as we find them now ; and
so in the following chapters only those examples which have
peculiar claims to attention will be submitted.
ADVERTISEMENTS of the kind which form the sub?
x\ ject of this chapter have been so often made
matter of comment and speculation, have so often received
the attention of essayists and the ridicule of comic writers,
that it is hard to keep out of the beaten track, and to find
anything fresh to say upon a topic which seems utterly
exhausted. Yet the store of fun is so great, and the ex-
cellence of many old and new stories so undoubted, thai
courage is easily found for this the most difticult part of the
present work. Difficult, because there is an embarrassment
of riches, an enormous mine of wealth, at command, and
the trouble is not what to put in, but what to leave out,
from a chapter on quaint and curious advertisements.
Difficult again, because some of the best stories have been
told in so many and such various guises, that until arriving
at the ends it is hard to tell they have a common ori
and then the claims of each version are as near as possib!
equal There is, however, a way out of all difhcuities
tlie way in this is to verify the advertisements themselvi
and pay no attention to the apocrypha to which they give
rise ; and though it is a tedious proceeding, and one which
shows litde in return for the pains taken, it may be soroe-
tliing to our readers to know, that curious as many of the
specimens given arc, they arc real and original, and that in
the course of our researches we have unearthed many
impostures in the way of quotations from advertisements
ib^H
^/^/Oi
^RJOUS AND ECCENTRIC ADVERTISEMENTS, 241
:h have never yet appeared, unless private views of still
e private copies of papers have been allowed their
nulgators. There is, after all, little reason for a display
Dventive power, for the real material is so good, and
^ so natural, as to completely put the finest fancy to a
dvantage. It has already been remarked that in the
le range of periodical literature there is no greater
osity than the columns daily devoted to advertisements
le Times, From them, says a writer a few years back,
e future historian will be able to glean ample and
ect information relative to the social habits, wants, and
iliaritics of this empire. How we travel, by land or sea
E)w we live, and move, and have our being — is fully set
■in the different announcements which ap])car in a
■copy of that journal. The means of gratifying the
BK)undless desires, or the most fastidious taste, are
TO within the knowledge of any one who chooses to
^ilt its crowded columns. Should a man wish to make
fcursion to any part of the globe between Cape Horn
Poe North Pole, to any port in India, to Australia, to
ca, or to China, he can, by the aid of one number of
Times^ make his arrangements over his breakfast. In
first column he will find which 'A i fine, fast-sailing,
jcr-bottomed ' vessel is ready to take hira to any of
k distant ports. Or, should his travelling aspirations
ft less extended nature, he can inform himself of the
, size, horse-power, times of starting, and fares, of
iberless steamers which ply within the limits of British
^^Vhethe^, in short, he wishes to be conveyed five
from London to Greenwich — or three thousand —
iverjiool to New York — information equally con-
is afforded him. The head of the second, or some-
% the third column, is interesting to a more extensive
[C of readers — namely, to the curious ; for it is generally
tted to what may be called the romance of advertising,
■dvertiseraents which appear in that place are rays-
i
24J
lUSTORY OF ADVERTISING.
terious as melodramas, and puzzling as rebuses." These
incentives to curiosity will receive attention a little further
on ; meanwhile wc will turn lo those which are purely
curious or eccentric.
The record of these notices to the public is so extensive,
and its ramifications so multifarious, that so tir as those
advertisements which simply contain blunders are concerned,
we must be satisfied with a simple summary, and in many
cases leave our readers to make their own comments. Here
is a batch of those whose comicality is mainly dependent
upon sins against the rules of English composition. Wc
will commence with the reward oflTcrcd for " a keyless lady's
gold watch," which is, though, but a faint echo of the " green
lady's parasol" and the "brown silk gentleman's umbrella"
anecdotes ; but the former we give as actually having
appeared, while so far the two latter require verification.
A lady advertises her desire to obtain a husband with "a
Roman nose having strong religious tendencies." A nose
with heavenly tendencies we can imagine, but even then it
would not be Roman. " A spinster particularly fond of
children," informs the public that she " wishes for two or
three having none of her own." Then a dissenter from
grammar as well as from the Church Established wants **a
young man to look after a horse of the Methodist per-
suasion ;" a draper desires to meet with an assistant who
would ** take an active and energetic interest in a small first-
class trade, and in a quiet family;" and a chemist re-
that '* the gentleman who left his stomach for analys; .
please call and get it, together with the result" Theaincai
papers actually teem with advertisements which, either from
technology or an ignorance of literary law, are extremely
funny, and sometimes alarming, and even the editorial
minds seem at times to catch the infection. One of these
journals, in a putT preliminary of a benefit, after announc-
ing the names of the performers and a list of the perform-
ances, went oa : " Of course every one will be there, and
CURIOUS AND ECCENTRIC ADVERTISEMENTS. 243
r the edification of those who are absent, a full report
ill be found in our next paper." This is worthy of a place
any collection : " One pound reward — Lost, a cameo
rooch, representing Venus and Adonis on the Drumcondra-
iroad, about ten o'clock, on Tuesday evening." And so
ts this : " The advertiser, having made an advantageous
purchase, offers for sale, on very low terms, about six dozen
of -prime port wine, late the property of a gentleman forty
)'ears of age, full in the body and with a high bouquet."
The lady spoken of in the following would meet with some
attention from the renowned Barnum : '* To be sold cheap,
ft splendid grey horse, calculated for a charger, or would
carry a lady with a switch tail." But she would find a for-
midable rival in the gentleman whose advertisement we
place as near as possible, so as to make a pair : " To be
Bold cheap, a mail phaeton, the property of a gentleman
vith a moveable head, as good as new." Stutlents of vivi-
section, and lovers of natural history generally, would have
been glad to meet with this specimen of life after decapita-
tion : •* Ten shillings reward — Lost by a gentleman, a white
terrier dog, except the head, which is black." And as
congenial company we append this : *' To be sold, an Erard
grand piano, the property of a lady, about to travel in a
walnut wood case with carved legs."
Differing somewhat, though still of the same kind, is the
advertisement of a governess, who, among other things,
notifies that ** she is a perfect mistress of her own tongue."
If she means what she says, she deserves a good situation
and a high rate of wages. An anecdote is told of a wealthy
widow who advertised for an agent, and, owing to a printer's
error, which made it "a gent," she was inundated with
applications by letter, and pestered by personal attentions.
This story requires, however, a little assistance, and may
be taken for what it is worth. Not long ago, a morning
■paper contained an announcement that a lady going abroad
vould give " a medical man " ;£ioo a year to look after
244
mSTORV OF ADVERTISING,
"a favourite spaniel dog" during her absence. ITiis
not be funny, but it is certainly curious, and in these daj
when starvation and misery are rampant, when men
to be found who out of sheer love kill their children rat
than tnist them to the tender mercies of the parish offici;
and when these same officials are proved guilty of com
live homicide, it is indeed noticeable, A kindred adv(
tisement, also real and un exaggerated, asks for " an accoi
plished poodle nurse. Wages £^\ per week." This h
double claims upon our attention here, for in addition
the amount offered for such work, there is a doubt as
the actual thing required. Is it a nurse for accomplishi
poodles, or an accomplished nurse? And, if the latt<
what in the name of goodness and common sense is accoi
plishment at such work? Do poodles require pcculi
nursery rhymes and lullabies, or are ihey nursed, as a \'ulj
error has it about West-country babies, head downward;
This is not the exact expression used with regard to the
infants ; but it will do. We i^all conclude this short list <rf
peculiarities with two which deserve notice. The first is
tlie notice of a marriage, which ends, " No cards, no cake,
no wine." This is evidently intended for friends other than
those "at a distance," whose polite attention is so
stantly invoked. The remaining specimen appeared in ll
Irish Tima^ and runs thus: "To Insurance Offices.-
Whatever office the late William H. O'Conncll, M.D.
was insured will please to- communicate or call on
widow, 23 Sonih Frederick Street, without delay." Oi
hardly knows which to admire most, the style or the inu
ciancc of the demand.
Of curious advertisements which ore such independent
of errors, selfishness, or moral obliquity, we have in the
purely historical part of this work given plenty specimens
from olden limes ; but there are still a few samples of the
peculiarities of our ancestors which will bear repetition
this chapter, more especially as most of them have n(
CURIOUS AND ECCEiVTS/C ADVERTISEMENTS. 245
before been unearthed from their original columns. Be-
fore quoting any of those which are purely advertisements
in the ordinary sense of the word, we will present to cur
readers a curious piece of puffery which appeared in an
Irish paper for May 50, 1784, and which from its near con-
nection with open and palpable advertising, and from its
whimsical character, will not be at all out of place, and
will doubtless prove interesting, especially to those of a
theatrical turn of mind, as it refers to ;he gifted Sarah
Siddons's first appearance in Dublin, "^he article runs
thus: *' On Saturday, Mrs Siddons, about whom all the
world has been talking, exposed her beautiful, adamantine,
60A, and lovely person, for the first time, at Smock-Alley
Theatre, in the bewitching, nieUing, and all-tearful charac-
ter of Isabdia. From the repeated panegyrics in the
impartial London newspapers, we were taught to expect
the sight of a heavenly angel ; but how were we super-
naturally surprised into the most awful joy, at beholding a
mortal goddess. The house was crowded with hundreds
more than it could hold, — with thousands of admiring
spectators, that went away without a sight. This extra-
ordinary phenomenon of tragic excellence ! this star of
Melpomene ! this comet of the stage I this sun of the
firmament of the Muses ! this- moon of blank verse I this
queen and princess of tears ! this DonnelUin of the poisoned
bowl ! this empress of the pistol and dagger I this chaos of
Shakspeare ! this world of weeping clouds ! this Juno oi
commanding aspects ! this Terpsichore of the curtains and
scenes ! this Proserpine of fire and earthquake ! this Kalter-
fclto of wonders ! exceeded expectation, went beyond be-
lief, and soared above all the natural powers of description !
She was nature itself! She was the most exquisite work of
art 1 She was the very daisy, prin^rose, tuberose, sweet-
brier, fur^e-blossom, gilliHowcr, wallflower, cauliflower,
auricula, and rosemary ! In short, she was the bouquet of
Parnassus I Where expectation was raised so high, it was
246 HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
thought she would be injured by her appearance; but it
was llie audience who were injured : — several fainted before
the curtain drew up ! When she came to the scene
parting with her wedding-ring, ah I what a siglu was thert
the very fiddlers in the orchestra, * albeit, unused to
melting mood,' blubbered like hungry children crying for
their bread and butter; and when the bell rang for music
between the acts^ the tears ran from the bassoon playc
eyes in such plentiful showers, that they choked the fing
stops ; and making a spout of the instrument, poured in
such torrents on the first fiddler's book, that, not seei
the overture was in t^vo shari)s, the leader of the ban
actually played in one flat. But the sobs and sighs of
the groaning audience, and the noise of corks drawn from
the smelling-bottles, prevented the mistake between flats
and sharps being discovered. One hundred and nine
ladies fainted ! forty-six went into fits I and ninety-
five had strong hysterics I The world will scarcely
credit the truth, when they are told, that fourteen
children, five old women, one hundred tailors, and six
common-councilmen, were actually drowned in the inunda-
tion of tears tliat flowed from the galleries, the slips, and
tiie boxes, to increase the briny pond in the pit ; thewaler
was three feet deep ; and the people that were obliged to
stand upon the benches, were in that position up to their
ankles in tears ! An Act of Parliament against her playin,
any more will certainly pass.'' As this effusion appear
almost immediately after the famous actress's first appear-
ance, we are hardly wrong in considering it as half an ad-
vertisement. It must certainly have helped to draw good
houses during the rest of her stay.
levers of the gentle craft may be interested to know that
what was perhaps the earliest advertisement of Izaak Wal-
ton's famous Htlle book " The Conipleat Angler " was pub-
lished in one of Wharton's Almanacs. It is on the back
of the dedication-leaf to " Hemeroscopeion : Ann! J^x^
» AND ECCENTRIC ADVERTISEAfENTS. 447
iristianje, 1654." Hemeroscopcion was William Lilly,
and the almanac appeared in 165J, the year in which
Walton's book was printed. The advertisement says : —
There is pubKslied »• Bookc of Eighteen-pence price, called The
Cffmpleat Am^Ur, Or, The CottUmphthx mun's Rrcreaiian : being a
Discourse of Fish and Fishing. Not unworthy the pcrusall. Sold by
Richard Marriot in S, DunstatCs Church-yard, FlceatrtiL
The publication of births, marriages, and deaths seems
to have begun almost as soon as newspapers were in full
swing. At first only the names of tlie noble and eminent
were given, but soon the notices got into much ihe same
form as we now find them. One advantage of the old
style was that the amount a man died worth was generally
given, though how the exact sum was known directly he
died passes our comprehension, unless it was then the fashion
to give off the secret with the latest breath. Even under
such circumstances we should hesitate to believe some
people of our acquaintance, who have tried now and again,
but have never yet succeeded in telling the truth about their
own affairs or those of their relatives. And doubtless many an
heir felt sadly disappointed, on taking his property, to find
it amount to less than half of the published sum. Notices
of marriages and deaths were frequent before the announce-
ment of births became fashionable; and in advertisements
the real order of things has been completely changed, as
obituaries began, marriages followed, and births came last
of all. In the first number of the GttttUman^s Afat^atine^
January 1 73 1, we find deaths and marriages published under
separate heads, and many papers of the time did likewise.
The Grub Street Journal gave them among the summary
of Domestic News, each particular item having tJie initials
of the paper from which it was taken appended, as was
done with all other information under the same head ; for
which purpose there was at tlie top of the article the infor-
mation that C. meant Daily Couraut^ P. Daily Posi-Boy^
P, Daily Post, D. J. Daily Journal, D. A. Daily Adver-
248
IITSTORY OF ADVERTISING.
tisir^ S. J. St James's Evening Pasty W. E. Whitehall EvenU
Posty and L. E. London Evening Post, la the number fc
February 7, 1734, we find this : —
jDi>(/ last night at his habitation in PallniaU, in a very advanced
age, count Kiimanscck, who came over from Haiiovcr with King
George I. S.J. At his lodgings. L.E,D, A.Feb, i, Aged about
70. P. Fib. I.- Of the small-pox, after 8 days illness, in his 33d year
count Kilmansegg, son of the countess of Kilmanse^, who ca.meoTcr
from 1 lanuvcr the beginning of the last reign, D. P. Fd». \. He auDC
over with his highness the prince of Orange, as one of his gentlemen.
D, J. Feb. I. Tho" Mr Conundrum canrte! accounl^r tAese differcsi
accounts of these two German counts, yet he counts it eertain^ tAattki
younger count was the son of the countess, who came over yrvm thi
county (j/" Hanover.
About the same time we find in the same paper another
paragraph worthy of notice : —
Vied^ last week at Acton, George VUlcrs, K'sq ; formerly pa|;e of tlie
preference to quctn Anne, said to have died worth 30,000!. ^Mr Rylcy^
a pay-master scrjcant, as he was drinking a pint of beer at the Satoj
£>, y. On friday Mr Fevcrel, master of the bear and rumi
tavern in Gerard-street, who was head cook to king Willjam
queen Anne, reputed worth 40.000L P. Mr Favil. /?. P.
Favel. D.J. MrFewell, 2i,oool. D. A.
On March 14, also of 1734, there is tliis : —
Died on tuesday in Tavistock -street, Mr Mooring, an craiiici
mercer, that kept Long's warehouse, said to have died worth 60,
D. y. This was $ days he/ore he did die, ami 40,000!. tnore tfhin hi
died worth according to D. P. Mar. 12.
And on the 28th this : —
/?ia/ yesterday morning admiral Mtghelles. C. Mighells. P.
Mlt;hills. D. P. A gentleman belonging to the carl of Grantham
Cound dead in his bed. P.
And so on» there being announcements in every rumbt
many of which showed difterences in tl»e daily-paper notices
There are also plenty of marriage announcements, which,
A rule, give the amounts obtained with the ladies, and sora<
CURIOUS AND ECCENTRIC ADVERTISEMENTS. 249
les the gentlemen's fortunes. The following is from the
S.J. of February 21, 1734 : —
Married^ ycslcrday at S. James's chnrcb by (he right rev. Br Hen,
gcrlon, lond bishop of Hereford, the hon. Francis Gcwlolphin, of
Uland-yard, Esq ; to the 31! daughter of ihc countcw of Tortland, a
luliful lady of 50,000!. fortune. P. Will. Godolphin, Esq ; to the
[y Barbam Benlinck, &c. D.P, At the chapel-ruyal, at S. jaoic^'s;
'yotuigeit daiightcr, &c D. J, 7?, A,
A few weeks later on there is this : —
Jllafrifi/ this day the countess of Uelorainc, governess to the princesses
Mary and Louisa, to Will. Wyndham, Esq; son to the late col. Wynd-
'bun. E. £. 77iry were not married Vi// 10 at night.
And on April 25 this : —
Married % few days since Price, a Buckinghamshire gentleman
of near 2000I. per ann. to miss Robinson of the Theatre Koyal in
Drury-bne. Z. E. On lue»Iay, the lord Vise Fuulkland to the lady
Villcw, relict of t!ic late lord Eaukland, a lady of great merit and
fortune. D. P. Mr Price's marriage is entirely false and groundless.
J>, A. Ap. 24.
There are in the /ourjiai^ as well as in contemporary
and earlier papers, occasional references to births as well, but
none calling for any comment at our hands. In the GattU-
mat^s Magazine oi February 1736 lliere are two notices of
deaths, one commencing the list, wliich is curious, and the
other immediately following, which cannot fail to be inter-
esting : —
SIR Bro-^tmimoc Sherani^ Bt in BurliHgtan Ganlcns. He was of a
human Disposition, kind to his Servants dislik'd all extravagant
Hxpcnce, but very liberal of his Fortune, as well to his Relations and
Frienils, as to Numbers of distressed Objects ; and iu particular, to St.
George's Hospital, near Hyde-Park Ccrner.
Bernard LinUtt, Esq., formerly an eminent Bookseller in F!ee(-$treH»
High Sheriff for Sussex, aged 61.
Also the Earl of Derby, and several men who arc noted to
have died worth sums varying from ^13,000 10 ^^100,000,
find obituary notices. These give particulars of the lives of
I
250 mSTOR V OF ADVERTISING.
the deceased, and the ways in which the various propertii
are disposed of, very different from the short annoum
inents of modem days. Thus we find that by the death of
the Hon. Walter Chetwynd, the barony of Ratlidown in the
couuty of Dublin, and viscounty of Chetwynd of Beerhaven
in the county of Cork, both in the peerage of Ireland,
became extinct, but that his brother, John Chetwynd, was
consoled by an estate of ^3000 per annum ; tliat Mrs Elira
Barber succumbed to *'an illness she had contracted in
Newgate on a prosecution of her master, a baronet of
Leicestershire, of which being honourably acquitted, and a
copy of her indictment granted, she had brought an action
of j^iooo damages; " that Mr Fellows was an eminent sugar-
baker; and thai Gilbert Campbell had during his life got
himself into trouble for misinterpreting his duties as an
attorney. The marriage lists have also tlic admirable
fashion of giving the sums of money obtained with the
brides or bridegrooms as the case may be, and in some
instances the amounts of revenue.
In the London JounujI oi February 7, 1730, there is the
following, which shows that the presentation of advertise-
ment-books gratis is by no means a novelty: —
A/Mtf New Masquerade Warehouse in Henrietta Street, CoTcnt
Garden, are gtvm gratis,
"pRINTED Speeches, Jokes, Jests, Conundrums and smart Rcpaneci,
-*' suited to each llnbit. by which Gcnllcmcnand La<licsinay Ixr quaJi-
ficd to speak what is proper to their respective Characters. Also some
Dialogues for two or more Perfwns, parlictilarly between a Cardinal and
a Milkmaid ; a Judge and a Chimneysweeper ; a Venetian Courtcraii
and a Quaker; with one very remarkable between a Devil, a Lawyer
and an Orange Wench. At llie same place is to be spoke with Signor
UosARio, lately arrived from Venice, who teaches Gentlemen and
Ladies the behaviour proper for a Devil, a Courtezan, or any other
Character. And vvbcreas it is a frequent practice for Gentlemen to
appear in the Habits of Ladies, and Ladies in the habits of Gentlcmcii«
Signor Rosario teaches the Italian m.inner of acting in boih c^pad*
ties. The Quality of both Sexes may be waited on and instructed at
Ihcir Houses,
Cl/X/OrS AND ECCENTRIC ADVERTrSEMENTS, 251
Also in 1730 two Roman histories translated from the
French by two Jesuit priests, appeared at the same time —
one by Mr Ozell, the other by Mr Rundy — which caused
the following advertisement to be inserted by the publishers
pf Ozell's work : —
^^ C})is iDno IS ^ubh'sb'l'
V^fai will satisfy SVC h as have bought Mr Ozell's Translatiim i*/ iJkt
'Roman History, and also uitdeceii-e sit<h of Mr Buttdys Friends as
0rt more Friends to Truth :
' Numher /. of the
HERCULEAN LABOUR ; or the AUGEAN STABLE cleansed
of lis heaps of liUtorical, philological, and Geographical
Tmropery. Being Serious and facetious Remarks by Mr Ozell, on
some thousands of capital and comica! Mistakes, Oversights, Negli-
gences, Ignorances, Omissions, Miscoiistmctions, Mis-nomers and
other Defects, in the folio Tran^ilalioa of the Roman IIistdky by the
Rev. MrBuNDY.
' A witty Foreigner upon reading an nntrae Translation of Caesar's
Commentaries, said : *' It was a wicked Translation, for the Translator
liad not rendered unto C.xsar the tilings which were Carsar's."
With equal truth the* less wil, may it be said the Translator of the
Roman History has not paid the Rev. authors the tvthe of their
DUES ; which in one of the .tame cloth is the more unpardonable.
The Money is to be relumed by Mr Oecll, to any Gentleman, who,
after reading it shall come (or send a letter to him in Arundel Street, in
the Strand) and declare upon Honour, he does not think the Book worth
the Money.
In the Bristol Gazetle for Thursday, August 28, 17SS,
simong advertisements of the ordinary kind, some of which
are noticeable as emanating from Robert and Thomas
Southey, we find the following : —
^^ Stvaf%sta and Bristol DILIGENCE,
^F To carry THREE IN.SIDES.
WILL set out from the Mackworth-Arms, Swansea, on Wednesday
the l8lh of June, and continue every Sunday, Wednesday, and
Friday morning at four o'clock ; and will arrive early the same evening
at ihe New Passage, where a good boat will be woiiing to lake the
Passengers over, and a Coach ready at eight o'clock the next morning
lo carry them to Bristol,
Also X LIGHT COACH will set out every Tuesday, Thursday, and
252 lilSTOR y OF AD VERTJS2XG.
Saturday afternoon at five o'dockj from the WuiTE LlON, to meet
above Diligence.
Fare from Brl.stol to Swansu^a l1. los., passage included.
Short passengers the same as the Mail Coach.
N.B. — Parcels carried on moderate terms, and expeditiously de-
livered ; but no parcels will be accounted for above 5I. value, lUilcM
entered as such and paid for accordingly.
reiformc<l by
J. LAKE, Mack worth- Arms, Swansea.
C. KOTT, Ship and Castle, Nealb.
C. KUADLEY, Bear, Cowbridgc
J. BRADLEY, Angel. CardilT.
M. HOGGATiD, New Passage.
R. CHURCH, New Passage.
\V. CARR, UhiieLiou, UristoL
N.B. A COACH eN-ery Monday, TImrsday, and Saturday morning,
at seven o'clock, from the White Lion to the New Passage.
It is to be prcsnmed that the line about short passengers
refers to those who travel short journeys only, Ihnugh a
friend of ours, himself a Welshman, makes several jocular
allusions to the conditions that used in the days of tra-
velling by road in and about the Principality to be imposed
on people of less than the average height As these will l>e
some day published in a volume, llie title of which is already
decided upon — " Cheese and Chuckles ; or, Leeks and
Laughter" — and which is intended for distribution among
the bards at the annual Eisteddfod, wc will not discount
the sensation then to be derived from their publicatioi
more especially as wchave tried in vain and failed to und<
stand them.
For those who take such interest in the poet South*
thnt anything connected with his family is regarded wit
favour, we present the following, from the same number
the Bristol GaziiU^ which was kindly forwarded by a genilf
man on hearing that this work was in progress : —
DISSOLUTION OF PARTNERSHIP.
-^pilE PARTNERSHIP between ROBERT and TIlOMi
-*- SOUTHEY, Unm-drapces, &c., of this city, was by mull
conficnt dissolved on the 3lst of July l.-ut ; all persons to whom
CURIOUS AND ECCENTRIC ADVERTISEMENTS, 253
taiil partnership stood indebted, are to send their nccounU lo Kobert
SofTUEV, Wineslreet, and the persons indebted to ihcm, are respect-
fully requested to pay ihe same to the said Robert Southev, who
continue* the trade aj usual ROBERT SOUTHEY.
THOMAS SOUTHEY.
Bristol, August Sth, 1788.
TJ SOUTHEY, thnnks his friends in particular and the public in
-'■^* genera], for the kind support he has hiiherto experienced, and
begs leave to inform them, that he is just returned from London with
a large assortment of goods ; pariicuhirly fine printed CALLICOES,
MUSLINS, and LACE, which he isdetcmiined tosellon as lowtcims
as any per^ion in the trade, and solicits the earl/ inspection of bis
friends.
N.B. — Part of the old Stock to be sold very cheap.
There is also an advertisement in the paper fromTliomas
Souihey, who has taken up quarters in Close Street, solicit-
ing custom and describing his wares. Our correspon<lcnt,
who is a gentleman of position at Neath, and whose verac-
ity is undoubted, says : " My father was a correspondent
of Soulhcy's, and in one of his letters Souihey says he was
very nearly settling in our Vale of Neath, in a country
house, the owner of which was a strong Torj', but as
Southcy at that early period of his life was a great Radical,
he was not allowed to rent the properly I If this had not
been so, he says, * my children would have been Camhxxzxi
instead of C«/wbrian.' "
Among other old customs now fast falling into desuetude,
there is in Cumberland and some other parts of the north
of England a practice known as the Bridewain, which con-
sists of the pubhc celebration of weddings. A short time
after courtship is commenced — as soon as the date of the
marriage is fixed — the lovers give notice of their inten-
tions, and on the day named all their friends for miles
around assemble at the intending bridegroom's house, and
join in various pastimes. A plate or bowl is generally fixed
in a convenient place, where each of the company contri-
«54
WSTORY OF ADVERTISING.
butes in proportion to his inclination and ability, and
according to the degree of respect the couple are held in.
By this custom a worthy pair have frequently been bene-
fited with a sum of from fifty to a hundred pounds. The
following advertisement for such a meeting is copied from
the Cumberland Pacquct^ 1786: —
INVITATION.
Suspend for one day your c:>re( and your Laboun,
And come to tiiis wedding, kind friends and good Dcighboun.
NOTICE is hereby given that the marriage of ISAAC PEARS1
with FRANCES ATKINSON will be solemnized in due fo
in the parish church of Lamplugh, in Cumberland, on Tuesday ncxt,1
30ih of May inst. ; immediately after which the bride and bridcgrc
with their attendants will proceed to I^ncfoot, in the said pari
where the nuplial^ will be celebrated by a variety of rural ei
tainmcnts.
Then come one and all
At Hymen's soft call
From Whitehaven, Workington, Harrington, Dean,
Hail, Ponsonby, IMaing and all places between,
From Egrcmonl, Cockermouth, Barton, St Bee's,
Cint, Kinnyside, Caldcr and parts such as these ;
And the country at large may flock in if ihey please.
Such sports there will be as have Ticldom been seen,
Such wrestling, and fencing and dancing between.
And races for prizes, for fioUclc and fun,
By horses, and asses, and dogs wUl be run
That you'll all go liomc happy — as sure as a gun.
In a word, such a wctlding can neVr fail please ;
For the sports of Olympus were trifles to these.
Not* Bene. — You'll please to observe that (he day
Of this grand bridal {H>mp is the thirtieth of May,
\Vhen 'cis bop'd that the sun, to enliven the sight,
Like the flambeau u( Hymen, will deign to burn brigbt.
These invitations were at this period far from rare, and
another, calling folk to a similar festival, appeared in
same paper in 1789 :—
BRIDEWAIN.
There lei Hymen oft ippear
la uflron rot>c and taper clear,
CUJilOVS AND ECCENTRIC ADVERTISEMENTS. 255
And pomp and fcaM aad rcvtlry.
Witt) nuslc uiid ^luic p.igcautry :
Such tighu* u youiUrul poeU dream,
On summer evo by haunted stream.
EORGE HAYTON, who married ANNE, the daughler of Joseph
and Dinah Coliu, of Crosby Mill, purposes having a BRIDE*
VAIN at his house, at Crosby near Mary]>ort, on Tliursday the yih day
f May next, where he will be happy to see his friends and well-wishers,
jr whose amusement there will be a variety of races, wrestling matches,
tcctc. The prizes will be— a saddle, two bridles, a pair of ^<i//<£r
'*fl*wirr gloves, which whoever wins is sure to be married wiihiu the
ireircmonlh ; a girdle {cemture de Venus'S possessing quahtics not to
e described ; and many other articles, Kporls and pai^limes too numer-
to mention, but which can never prove tedious in the exhibition.
kFrom fashion's laws and customs free:,
We follow sweet variety ;
By turns we laugh and dance and sing ;
Time's for ever on the wing ;
And nymphs and swains of Cumbria's plain
Present the golden age again.
A similar advertisement appears in the Pacquei'va 1803,
nd contains some verses of a kind superior to that gener*
Jly met in these appeals. It is called
A rUBLlC BRIDAL.
I ONATHAN and GRACE MUSGUAVE purpose having a PUB-
P Lie BRIDAL at Low Lorion Bridge End, near Cockcrmouth,
n THURSDAY, the i6lhof June, 1803 ; when they will begladtosee
heir Friends, and all who may please to favour them with their Com-
►any ; — for whose Amusement there will be various RACES, for Prizes
•f difTerenl kinds; and amongst others, a Saddle, and Bridle; and a
>i]ver-tipt. Hunting Horn, for Hounds to run for. — There will also be
raping, Wrestling, Ac &c
^1" Commodiovis ROOMS are likewise engaged for DANCING
'ARTIES, in the Evening.
^'ome, haste to the BRIDAL !^to Joys we invite You,
Which, hclp'd by the Season, to please You can't fail :
5ut should LOVE,MlRTH,.ind SPRING strive in vain to delight You,
You've still the tuUJ Comforts of Lorton's sweet Vale,
KvA where does the Goddess more charmingly revel?
leic Zephyr dispense a more healih-chearing Gate,
256
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
Than where the pure CocktVy mcandring the Level,
Adorns the calm Prospects of Lorton's swccl Vale?
To the BRIDAL then come ;— taste the Sweets of oar Vallef ;
Vour Visil, good Chter and kind IV^come shall haiL
Round the Standard oi 0\A Knglish Custom, we'll nilljr,^
And he West in /^tev, Friendships and Lorton's sweet Valk..]
A correspondent, writing in Hone's Table-Book, di
August 1827, says it was in the early part of the centui
"a prevalent custom to have 'bidden weddings* when a
couple of respectability and of slender means were on the
eve of marriage ; in this case they gave publicity to their
intentions through the medium of the Cumberhnd Pact^uet,
a paper published at Whitehaven, and which about twenty-
nine years ago was the only newspaper printed in the
county. The editor, Mr John Ware, used to set off the
invitation in a novel and amusing manner, which never
failed to insure a large meeting, and frequently the con-
tributions made on the occasion, by the visitors, were of so
much importance to the new-married couple that by care
and industry they were enabled to make so good *a fend as
niver to look ahint them/'* That this or a similar custom
was practised commonly a generation ago in Wales, where
it is even now occasional, a notice issued from Carmarthea
shows. It is peculiar, and runs thus : —
Carmarthen, April 12, 1S36.
AS we intend to enter Ihe MATRIMONIAL STATE on Tin
-**■ DAY, the 5th of May next, we are encouraged by our Frii
to malte a BIDDING on the occasion the same Day, at the Sign
the Ancel, situate in Lammas-Street ; when and where the fa
of your good and agreeable Company is most humbly solicited,
whatever donation you may be plcnscd to confer on us then, will
thankfully received, warmly acknowledged, and cheerfully repaid wl
ever called for on a similar occasion,
Ity your most obedient hnmble Scrrant^^
DAVID DANIEL
(Shoemikkcr,)
RUTH EVAN&
ZJMdBifiSiLM
CUHIOaS AND ECCENTRIC ADVERTISEMENTS. 357
TkeYour^ Man, and IiU Mother. (Mary Daniel.) and his Brother nnd
St&ter (Joshua and Anne,) desire tlial all gifis of the above nature due
to tiiem, be returned on ihe said Day, and will be thankiul far ail
fiiTours granted.
Also, ihe Young Woman, and her Mother (Sanih Evans,) and her
Gnind-falhcr and Grand-mother (John and France* Kvans) desire that
all Gififtof the aliQve nature due I0 them, he retunictl on the alxive
Day, and will be thankful with her Uncle and Aunt (Benjamin and
Uargaret Evans Penrhywcoion,) for all additional favours granted.
The applications maOe by means of the notes which fol-
low the advertisement show that the promise made by David
and Ruth to repay all amounts when called upon is some-
thing more than a mere flourish. We should not like,
though, to guarantee that these promises were always kept,
and have no doubt that the concocters of tlie foregoing
found, as so many others did before them, and not a few have
done since, that kindness is generally obtained from the
least expected, and often the least valued, quarter. This is
t glorious dispensation of providence, and few people who
have experienced misfortune, or have been in want of assist-
ance, but have felt how compensating is the hidden power
which guides our destinies. Yet writers who constantly
tail about the insincerity of friendship make little or no
mention of those truest friends, the friends who appear
linvokcd, and do whatever has been asked in vain of others
rho may have promised freely, or who arc in fact indebted
lo those they ignore in the moment of adversity.
Burly old Grose, the friend of Burns, in his "Olio"
gives a curious specimen of composition, which he says was
the effort of a mayor in one of our University towns, though
which is not stated. It tells us that —
often incurred by
we whose Names
are undcriigned, have thought proper that the Benefit of an Engine,
bought by us, for ll;e belter Extinguishing of which, by the Accidents
of Almighty God, may unto us happen, to make a Kate to gather Bo*
nevolcncc for the better propagating such useful Instruments.
Some clever student of style may be able to tell, by a
I
WliERE.\S, a Multiplicity of Danger* arc
Damage of outrageous Accidents by Fire,
aS8
If /STORY OF ADVERTtsma
;n!or
clue invisible to the uninitiated, whether this is Oxfoi
Cambridge. We are not learned in such matters, an
prefer to admire, without troubling ourselves to identify.
Poetical ndvcrtiscnicnts were not at all uncommon a huii^
dred years ago and less. The demand for space, and the
steam-engine rate at which we live now, have, however,
destroyed not only the opportunity for them, but their use.
Towards the close of the last century there lived in the
Canongate, Edinburgh, one Ga\an Wilson, a hard-working
bootmaker, or, as his sign described him, "Arm, Leg
Boot maker, but not to his Royal Highness the Prince
Wales." He was a singular fellow, and was the inventor
of an art for hardening and polishing leather, so as to be
workable into powder-flasks, snuff-boxes, drinking-mugs,
ink-cases, and other articles of a similar kind. His genius
did not stop at this rough work, but enabled him to form
a German flute and a violin, both of leather, which, for
neatness of workmanship and melodiousness of tone, were,
friendly critics said, not a bit inferior to any fiddle or flute
formed of wood. His greatest triumphs, however, were
artificial arms and legs, also made of leather, which not
only completely remedied loss of limb, but also closely
resembled their human prototypes, being covered with skin,
nails, &c. The unexampled success of his endeavours in
this way was curiously illustrated by a person who, having
lost both his hands by a cannon-shot, was provided with a
new and useful pair by Gavin Wilson. This man expressed
his gratitude in a letter of thanks, written with the artificial
hands, which api>cared in the CaUdottian Ma-cury for 1775,
along with an advertisement of the ingenious mechanic.
Wilson had also pretensions to wit, and was occasionally a
votary of what Foote once described as the Tuneful Ten.
" Nine and one are ten," said Foote one day to an!
accountant, who was anxious the wit sliould hear his poetr)',
and who commenced, *' Hear me, O Phcebus and ye Tuneful
Nine \ " Having got so far, he accused Foote of inattention ;
i
CURIOUS AND ECCENTRIC ADVERTISEMENTS. 259
mt the latter said, " Nine and one are ten — go on/' which
ras too near the shop to be pleasant The following
dvertisement may serve as a specimen of Wilson's poetical
ttempts : —
G. Wilson humbly as before
Resumes bis thankfulness once more
For favours fonnerly enjoy'd
In, by the public, being employ'd.
And hopes this public intimation
Will meet with candid acceptation.
The world knows welt he makes btfots neatly
And, as times go, be sells them cheaply.
'Tis also known to many a hundred
Who at his late invention wonder'd,
That polish'd Uather boxes, cases,
So well known now in many places,
With pcnvder-Jiasks and porUr-mui^s,
And jointed leather arms and le^s.
Destgn'd .for use as well as show.
Exempli gratia read below,*
Were his invention ; and no claim
Is just by any other name.
With numbers of production more,
In leather ne'er performed before.
In these dead limes being ahnost idle,
He tried and made a leather fiddle.
Of workmanship extremely neat,
Of tone quite true, both soft and sweet.
And finding leather not a mute
He made a leather German flute.
Which play'd as well and was as good
As any ever made of wood.
He for an idle hour's amusement
Wrote this exotic advertisement.
Informing you he does reside
In head of Canongate, south side,
Up tlie first wooden-railed stair,
You're sure to find his Whimship there.
In Ilritain none can fit you better
Tlian can your servant the Bootmaker,
Gavin Wilson.
* The letter written by the sailor with the artificial hands to the
inter of the Caledonian Mercury,
mSTOJiY OF ADVERTJSIKC,
Notwithstanding that their day is past, occasional poetical
advertisements are to be found in the |inpers now. They
arc, as a rule, infmiiely bad, and the following is so very
d^JTerent from the general run of them, that we cannot help
quoiing it. Perhaps it was written after taking a dose of
" Laniplough," which is said on authority to have so many
beneficial effects, that power over writers of verse in gene-
ral, and the writtr of the following in particular, may easily
be included among them. So all minor poets had better
study this, which we extract from a ** weekly" a year or so
ago:—
A DRINKING SONG.
If ever your spirits are damp, low.
And bilious ; you should, 1 opine,
Juxt quaff a deep bumper of L.impIough —
Of Lamplough'a Pyretic Suliue.
The tide is quaint and eccentric —
Is probably so by design —
But they say for disturliances ventric
There's nouglit like Pyretic Saline.
Don't bid me become cxcgctic.
Or tell me Tm only a scamp low,
If I can tell you more of Pyreiic
Saline manufactured by Lamplougli.
A second good specimen was published in a theatrical
paper at the time when Mr J. S. Clarke, an American come-
dian, whose strength is in his advertisements, and who is
well known this side the Atlantic, was playing in " The
Rivals." It is entitled
SAVED.
\\ waa a chill November eve and on the busy town
A heavy cloud of yellow foj was sinking slowly down ;
Upon the bridge of Waterloo, a prey to mnd despair.
There stood a maa wilh hca\7 brow and deep lined face of care.
One lingVing look around he pave, then on the river cast
Tliat sullen stare oFrash resolve he meant should he his last.
Far down the old cpHiedral rose, a shadow grey and dim.
The light of day wofld <3awn oa that bat ne'er again on him.
CURIOUS AND ECCENTRIC ADVERTISEMENTS. 261
One plunge within the murky stream would end the bitter strife.
" What rest's there now," he sobbed aloud, " to bid me cling to life?"
Just then the sound of stamping feet smote on his list'ning ear,
A sandwich-man upon his beat paused 'neath the lamplight clear.
One hurried glance — he read the board that hung upon his back,
He leapt down from the parapet, and smote his thigh a smack.
" I must see that," he cried— the words that put his woe to flight
Were "John S. Clarke as Acres at the Charing Cross to-night."
Another of these eflfusions, well worthy of insertion here,
appeared quite recently in a humorous paper, and is devoted
to the interests of Messrs Cook & Son, the tourist agents.
Whether or not it was paid for as an advertisement, they
must have found it valuable. Despite the sneers of several
small wits whom fortune has enabled to travel in the old ex-
pensive mode, there are very many who are neither cads nor
snobs, whatever the distinction may be, and whose greatest
sin is a paucity of income, that have felt the benefit of the
popular excursionists' endeavours. The verses are called
COOK'S PERQUISITES.
In longitude six thousand ninety-two,
Latitude nothing, the good ship, Salt Be^f^
Caught in a gale, the worst that ever blew,
Was stranded on a coral island's reef.
Her back was broken, so she went in halves.
The crew and captain perished, every hand 5
Only a pig, some chickens, and two calves,
And the one passenger, escaped to land.
King Bungaroo, with all the royal suite,
Was waiting to receive him on the beach ;
And seeing he was plump and nice to cat,
Received him graciously with courteous speech.
The suite, who thus their coming banquet eyed,
Their gastric regions nibbed with grateful paw,
And wondered if the king would have him fried,
Or boiled, or roasted, — or just cat him raw I
The hungry passenger their meaning caught
As hinting dinner in some manner dim.
And smiling at the notion, little thought
That they meant feasting on — and not wUh — him I
a6a J/rSTOJiY OF ADVERTIsrXG^
But^ as yoQ draw a fowl before *tis drvst,
The suile proceeded first, of cvcrylbing
The pockets of their victim to divest,
And laid their plunder down before the king.
The monarch started at some oliject there —
Then seized the prisoner's hand and cried aloud,
" Bo. bingo wobU ! Chutigura raggadare.
Howinki croblob? Boo I Owchingadowd !**
Whicli means — "Unhand this kindly {gentleman.
Observe those coupons ! Note that small green book I
Put out the fire — hang up the frylng-pnn 1
We mustn't eat him. He belongs to Cook 1 "
But turning back to the early limes on which we started
in quest of amusing advertisements, we come upon a
fictitious letter addressetl to Sylvanus Urban in the Gentle-
man*s Ma^asiiu for September 1S03, which is signed Maria
Elderly, and falls sadly foul of tlie indecorous announcements
then so plentiful. It runs thus : "Good Mr Urban, — You
must know, Sir, I am a married woman and a mother (I
bless Heaven !) of several not unpromising daughters. We
read most of the best English and French authors together
as we sit at our work : that is to say one reads aloud whilst
the rest draw, sew, or embroider. The hours thus ps
more pleasantly ; and our amusement I will hope is pi
ductive of solid mental profit. It is a jiroverbial go(
natured joke with young gentlemen that curiosity is of tl
feminine gender. I will not stop to dispute the matter
such acute grammarians ; but will rather honestly adi
that (althougli 1 think otherwise) perhaps * much may
said on both sides.' Nay, I will own, Sir, that what wit
tlie natural timidity of my sex, and the fear of Bonapartf
invasion, I do feel a little hankering or so, to learn how
world of politics is conducted. I therefore have lat(
taken in a certain Aishionable morning newspaper, and
much amused at first with its contents. But, my dear
Urban, I fancy I must give up this paper ; and as I fii
f^TOaS AND £CC£NTIi/C ADVSXTlSEIilENTS, 263
re a married gentleman, I will at once tell you why: I
often been vexed, Sir, at the sight of certain indecorous
tisements. Proof is better than accusation at ail
I will therefore just aUude to a few, wliich, how-
I assure you, are not the worst. I know you cannot
t tm to transcribe them. The first instance I shall
;, is in the paper of April 21, 1S03, where *a lady
30, wishes to be companion to a single gentleman ;*
s a proof of the impropriety of this advertisement, Mr
Dover Street (to whom the lady referreJ) thought it
sary pointedly to deny all knowledge of her in another
Lisement of April 28- In the paper of May 5, X read
a widow-lady //fj^///^ in her pcrsofi^ &c., sohcits the
of ^40 from a gentleman.' The lady refers to a
in Dean Street, Soho. In that of May 26 'a young
e intreats the loan of pf 130 from a nobleman or
tman of fortune.' She refers to Curriers' Row, Black
In tliat of June i, a young lady (who refers to the
office, Blandford Street, Poriman Square) inserts a
unqualified proposal indeed. In that of June 16, Uie
isal is repeated in still more impertinent terms. The
tiow refers to Eyre Street, Hatton Garden. In that of
x8| appear two advertisements from females, of a very
fs nature^ addressed to two young men. Both arc
lations; and they are expressed too in very intelligible
J I do assure you. I believe you will agree with me
luch advertisements can do no good and may do much
I could enlarge my list verj' greatly, by pointing your
to paragraphs of a later date ; but the subject is a very
asant one, and I at present forbear. * My poverty,
lot my will consents* may do in a play ; but it is a
xcuse for the editor of a daily publication : and it is
i/tf^ Sir, when we consider how many young minds may
be empoisoned." AVe trust this letter will be taken
idcnce that we have in the preceding chapter by no
lected the worst specimens of the style which
364
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
I
pervaded advertisements at the close of the last century
and beginning of the present.
Tiic believers in vested interests may see by an adver-
tisement of the year 1804, that proprietorial rights were
respected in those days even among beggars : —
'T^O l>e riisposcd of for the benefit of the poor widow a Blind Mtn's
-*■ WALK ill a charitable neighbourhood, the comings-in between
twenty-five aJid twenty-six shillings a week, with a dog well drilled,
antl a staff in good repair. A handsome premium wiU be expected.
Ft>r further particulars, inquire at No. 40, ChiiwcU StrceL
The halcyon days of cadgers and crossing-sweepers are
over, and we no longer hear of members of cither profession
leaving forlunes. It has often been source of wonder to us
how a right was maintained in any particular crossing or
walk. It is presumable, of course, that no action would lie
in the event of one man taking another's favourite corner;
yet, if stor>'-lellcrs are to be depended upon, the "good-
wills" of these places in days gone by were worth not
hundreds alone, but thousands of pounds. The new police
and the mendicity societies have considerably disturbed
such sinecures, and even those affectionate parents that
of late years lived on the earnings of their young, who
pretended to sell cigar-lights and newspapers, but who in
reality begged freely, have been driven to earn their own
meals by the officers of the various school-boards. So
passes away the glory of free trade from this over-legislated
and cflTete old country, where no one is allowed to do as he
likes if it at all interferes with die comfort of his neighbours
— except, of course, when he is rich and the neighbour is
poor. Passing on to 181 1, we come upon a quaint request
for a servant in the Moniin^ Post of December 4 : —
A COOK-HOUSEMAID, or HOUSEMAID-COOK is wanted*
*'*■ for the service of asingle gentleman, where only oneoiher, a man-
servant is kept. The age of the woman wanted must not be less than 25,
nur more than 40 years; and it is requisite that she should be equally
excellent in the two capacities of Cook and Hou&emaid. Her charac*
ter mu-it be uncxceptionahlc for soliricty, Iioncity nnd cicanlinc---;.
The sobriety, however, which consists in drinking deep without slayger-
ing will not do ; nor will the honesty suffice which would make up
lor the possible absence of pilfering by waste. Neither will the
deanliaess answer which is content with bustling only before the
employer's eyes — a sure symptom of a slattern. The servant advertised
tar, most be thoroughly and truly cleanly, honest and sober. As it
is probable that not a drab out of place who reads this advertisement
Int will be for imposing herself, though, perhaps, incapable of cooking
« Mpntj and about as nice as a Hottentot, all such are warned not to
give themselves useless trouble. On the other hand, a steady, clean
woman, really answering the above description, will, by applying as
below, hear of a place not easy equalled in comfort ; where the wages
are good and constantly increasing, and where servants arc treated as
fellow-creatures, and with a kindness, which, to the discredit of their
dan, is seldom merited. Personal application to be made, from one
to three o'clock, to Mr Danvers, perfumer. No. 16, Craven Street,
Strand.
Here we have the crotchety old bachelor of the novels
to the life. This advertiser was evidently a judge of
character, and doubtless one of the kindest-hearted of men,
but irascible and touchy, subject to twinges of gout, and
possessed of a horror of east winds. A man who would
scorn to be affected by the most pitiful story, yet whose
hand was always in his pocket, and whose sympathy always
meant relief as well. Where are all these good old creatures
gone? Are they all dead, and is the race extinct ? Frankly
wc must admit that we never met with any one of them,
though we should very much like to, as we could in our
own person find plenty of opportunity for the disposition
of extra benevolence. It is said that the brothers
Cheeryble had an actual existence, and perhaps they had,
but if so, they managed to conceal their identity extremely
successfully. We remember once meeting two brothers in
business, who in appearance and manner were exactly like
Nickleb/s benefactors ; but two more astute individuals
were not to be found in the three kingdoms. And on the
strength of this likeness they possessed a great reputation
for a benevolence which never had even a symptom of
366
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
real being. Apropos of those imaginary phitanthropisls
the Chceryblcs, we present one of the advertisements which
were called forth by their appearance in the story. It is
from tlie Timcsy and was published February 7, 1844 : —
'pO THE BROTHERS CHEERYBLE, or any who have hearti
-*■ like theirs. A clergyman, who will glatUy communicate his riamc
and adtlre!k% desires to introduce the case of a gentlemnn, equal at least
to Nicklcby in birdi, worthy, like him, for rc^hcmcnt of character, cvea
of the best dcBcenl ; Ukc him, of spotless integrity, and powerfully
beloved by friends who cannot help liim, but no longefi like KicUcby,
sustained by the warm buoyancy of youthful bkiod. The widowed
father of young children, he has spent his all in the stnigg]cs of all
tinsuccessful but honourable buitiness, and has now for eighteen montlii
been vainly seeking some stipendiary employment. — To all who bai;
ever known him he can refer for commendation. Being well versed I
ar-coiuUs, lliough pos&esised of educatiuu, talents, and experience, whi
would render Lini invaluable as a private secretary, he would at
with gratitude even a clerk's sloul and daily bread. Any communi
lion addressed to the Rev. B. C, Post-ofTice, Cnmbridge, will pre
full particulars, ample references, and the introduction of the
who is now in town, and ignorant of this attempt to serve him.
Dickens, knowing his power at that time, must hai
laughed in his sleeve at the trick he was playing the proft
sional swindler when he portrayed the brothers; though, if
are to believe what we arc told in the preface to a sub:
qncnt edition of his book, the noble army of begging-letter
writers and suchlike impostors had ample revenge, for he
was pestered nearly to death with importunities to reveal the
real name and address of purely mythical characters. In-
ventors of appeals to the benevolent, cither byway of letter
or advertisement, are a hard-working race, and must find the
task of enlisting s>*mpathy much more dif^cult than it was
when ^fr Puff tided over a time of misfortune by aid of the
charitable and credulous. It is possible even now, despite
the efforts of societies and detectives who give ihcmselTCS
entirely to the work of unmasking counterfeits, to fmd one or
two of those heart-stirring appeals to the benevolent whicb
have maintained many an impostor in idleness for ycara
^OCrs Al^D ECCEi^TRIC ADVERTISEMENTS. 267
Like Pnffdid in his time, though evidently less
s successfully, these advertisers support themselves
icir inventions by means of the proceeds of addresses
I charitable and Iiumane," or " to those whom pro-
• has blessed with affluence." The account which
ves of his liclitious misfortunes so little exaggerates
risements which appear occasionally in llic Timts^
well to the point, and worthy of quoting. •*!
he says, " never man went through such a series
hiitles in the same space of time. I was five times
. bankrupt, and reduced from a state of affluence by
of unavoidable misfortunes. Then, though a very
ious tradesman, 1 was twice burnt out, and lost ray
I both times. I lived upon those fires a month. I
fter was confined by a most excruciating disorder,
it the use of ray limbs. That told very well ; for I
e case strongly attested, and went about to collect
)Scriplions mysclfl Afterwards, I was a close pri-
I tlie Marshalsea for a debt benevolently contracted
5 a friend. I was then reduced to — oh no! — then I
\ a widow with six helpless children. Well, at last,
ith bankruptcies, fires, gouts, dropsies, imprisonments,
ler valuable calamities, having got together a pretty
me sum, I determined to quit a business which had
gone rather against my conscience."
ea\Tng "The Critic," and the ideas which the speci-
t given have promoted, we will fall back upon an
ent of a truly humorous nature, which is given
d 05 long back as 1S16. What householder who
ved his dwelling for the benefit of a grasping pro-
U not sympathise with tiie writer of this? —
'ED IMMF.niATELV, !o enable me to leave the houw
lich I liave for these Inst fn-c years inhabitcil, in the same
condition in which I found it, 500 LIVE RATS, for which
lly jiay the niim of ^^5 steiling ; and ns \ cannot leave the
led thereto in the same order in which I got it, witliout at
268 j//sroA'y or advertising.
least Five Millions of Docks, Docfccns (weeds), I do hereby
n further sum oX £,^ for said number of Dockcns. Appl)r — — >
Uatcd, 31 October, 1S16.
N. B. Tlie Kats must be full p-own, and no cripples.
In close companionship with the above wc find anothOt]
which for peculiarity is quite as noticeable. The adi
tiser has evidently studied humanity without receiving
benefit from his researches, unless the knowledge thai
is vastly superior to every one else is a benefit. If
advertisement were not a swindle, of which it seems
suggestive, it is not unreasonable to suppose that failu
attended upon it, for no man who believed to such ,
extent in himself could ever be brought to have faith
another : —
TT i» the Ecneral desire of princes and opulent men to live fricndle
■^ — they gain obaequiausness, adulation, and dependents, bat
friends : llic sycophants that surround thcra disappear when the li
that attracted ihem is lost: beguiled by blandishments deceived
hypocrisy, and lulled by professions ihey do not discover imposture 1
adversity detects it, 'J'he evil ia unbounded — ihey never obtain a
cere opinion, whether regarding pecuniary embarrassment or d(
dissension — in any perplexed or unhappy event they receive no
but that which benefits the sinister views of him who gives it
advantage is forlunc if it transforms fiicnds into parasites, and
to live in constant delusion ; or IvTlalcd and secluded, we mi
like hermits to shim intercourse with our fcllow-beingii, and esca,|
C'.iy? One whose affluence precludes speculation, who has
liinisclf undaunted in danger and unshaken in fidelity, proflle
friendUiip to him who deserves it, and Mfill know how to appicciai
—his reading has not alTurded mere abstract knowledge, but has
rendered auxiliary for a vast intercourse with the warld ; years hfti
fvimiahed rxperience, reflection has improved it. His advice and
lie hopen is ^ot insignificant, be the titation of him who requires the
ever so elevated. As tlicre can be no independence where there is n(
cipiahty of circumstances, no one of inferior condition can be noticed.
Still about the same period we come upon the advertis*
ment of an Irish schoolmaster, which for inflation, pomposity,
and ignorance is perhaps unrivalled. It is only fair, whiU
quoting this, to say that Mr Hendrick is not by any means
CVX/OUS AS'D ECCENTRIC ADVERTJSEMEirrS. 469
good specimen of the Irish teacher, who is, as a rule,
>dest, conscientious, and chokeful of learning. This
tract forcibly reminds us of one of Samuel Lover's chaxac-
fs: —
Mr Hekdrick's devoir to the gentry of Limerick.
L70ULD be elaied to assign his atteniion for the insiruction of
• eight or ten Pupils, to attend on their houses ench second day,
tcuh the French language, Geography on the Principles of Astro'
sy, traversing the Globe by sea and land on the rudiments of a right
,le, with a variety of pleasing Problems, altnchcd to Manners, Cur.
Duv &c of difTcrenl Countries, Trade and Commerce; Phenomenons
\ Yolcjino«, Thunder, Sound, Lightning. &c. Such as please to con.
ktie', may advance through a Course of Natural Philosophy, and those
toficienl in French can be taught the above in that Language.
N.B. At intervals would in<>tcuct in the Italian Language.
Fleaftc 10 ioqutre al Mr Barry, Newtown-Pcrry.
J. Uendrick, PMUcmath^s,
In a Jersey newspaper for December 1821 there is a
tty funny advertisement for a lost dog — so funny indeed
i it that it seems more than likely to have been a hoax, or
hit at the peculiarly broken English identified with the
[banncl Islands. Still it appears as an advertisement, and
\ we append it : —
'OSE. — Derc ave bin von doge, dat vil replay to de nppel of
-^ ** Outre ;*' he is betwin de couleur of de vite and de bruin, derc
betif he was delay by some pcrsonne on propos, ns he was vont by de
on Monday next for to come to de cba&se, as he kno vcre was de
Applie of de oner at de Printure.
As a companion, here is the following from the Handeis'
d of Amsterdam. It is much more natural than the
rsey effusion, and is evidently an attempt to write the
nguage known on the Continent and abroad generally
\ American. It will be recollected that one of the last
•quests of the Emperor Nicholas during the Crimean w-ir
as that, in gratitude for the efl'orts at assistance made by
jc good people of the United States, the cadets in the
lilitary schools should be taught the American language.
his must be near to his idea of it : —
L
*7o
WSTORY OF AVVERTISIXG.
MEDAILLE of SILVER at New- York.
MEDAILLE of COLD at Paris, London and Berlin.
The very celebrated AMERICAN-BALSAM, notwithstanding
great competition, preserve the preference ; wherefore, did is your qui
tion because every body is content with his expectation and recommeod
this Imliuim indeed.
The under sjfjncd have by experience of himself following the worit«
ingof this balsam and mny be rejoicing tooHcran hishonorablei fdloV'
citizens and compatriots a very excellent remedy to prevent the sallyofj
hair, to dissipurte the erysipelas ; and than the greatest desire of
Consist to recover the hair upon their bald-spates, it is reading
day in the newspapers, but noue nnnonce, as the under signed has
right to do it with contract A'O HAIR NO MONNEV.
The prevent imitation none than TMEOl'HILE is sole agent for
Netherlands, St. Nicholasslrcet at Amsterdam. Ladys ! rcriiwipl|.
cutis, tress shall be dying very beautiful is every colours, of light
to bUck.
Bony inspection of a long wigt tress, with teen diflerenls colenr^
On December 23, 1823, the following droll advertisem^
appeared in the Morrting Jlera/d. It was probably a sal
on the manners and customs of quasi-fashioiiables of
day, though why any one should be so anxious to mark
disapprobation of the state of affairs as to pay for the pt
lication of his satires we really are not prepared to say :-
Tir ANTED, for the ensuing London Campaign, a CHAPERON/
^ ' will undertake the charge of two young ladies, now making tl
cnlnJe into fashionable life ; she must possess a constitution im|K:r
to fatigue and heat, and be perfectly independent of sleep; an /aii\
the mysteries of Whist and Cassino, and always ready to undcrt:
round game, with a supper appetite of the most moderate descripii<
any personal charms, which might interfere by her acling as a foili'
her charges, will be deemed inadmissible ; and she mvist be t<
divested of matrimonial pretensions on her own account, liavlng
cicnt experience in Ihc hrau monde to decide with promptitude on
eligibility of invitations with an instinctive discrimination of Atmadt|
men, and eldest sons. Address to Louisa, Twopenny Post Of&ce,
Great Marydc-bone-slrecL
N.13. No Widow from Bath or Cheltenham will be treated with.
In the Timfs, at the close of the year 1826, an advert!
mcnt appeared, which ran as follows : —
^^ifMBOi^^fll
CURIOUS AND ECCENTRIC ADP'ERTISE.\fENTS. 271
rO SCHOOL ASSISTANTS.— Wanted, a respectable GENTLE-
MAN of tood diameter, capable ofTEAClilNG ihc CLASSICS
I fitf as Homer and VirBil- Apply
There is nothing noticeable in this, the reader will think,
lor is there; but the sequel, which is tokl in a number of
be DOW leading journal a few days afterwards, will perhaps
epay perusal. A day or two after the advertisement had
ppeared, the gentleman to whom application was to be
»adc received a letter as follows: *' Sir— With reference to
n advertisement which were inserted in the 7mfs news-
aper a few days since, respecting a school assistant, I beg
> state that I should be happy to fill that situation ; but as
lost of my frends reside in l^ondon, and not knowing how
vr Homer and Virgil is from town, I beg to state that I
tould not like to engage to teach llie classics farther than
[aininersmith or Turnham Green, or at the very utmost
btaace farther than Brentford. — Wating your reply, I am,
ir, &c. &c., John Sparks." The errors in orthography and
ptax have been copied as in the letter, but we fancy the
latter looks suspiciously like a hoix. The editor, however,
links otherwise, and after appending a few remarks, sa)"^
Pis puts us in mind of a person who once advertised for
frofig (oal hea^fer* and a poor man calling upon him
day after, saying, ' he had not got such a thing as a
}rons coal heax'er^ but he had brought a strong coal saittU,
lade of llie best iron j and if that would answer the pur-
ose, he should have it a bargain.* " About this time the
allowing request for a minister was published in tlie Monthly
^rror, and doubtless applications were numerous for the
ngagcment : —
ANTED, for a newly erected Chapel, near Grosvenor Square, a
genllcman of elegant manners, and insinuating addrcsji, lo con-
Dct the theological department to a rc6ned audience. It is not ncces-
uy that he believe in the Tliirty-ninc Article* ; but It is expected that
c should possess a white hand and a diamond ring ; he will be
lipected to leave out vulgar ideas, and denunciations against polile
Ices which he may meet with io the Bible; and, npon no account, be
N-
271
mSTORY OF ADI'ERTISING,
■
l>uiUy of wounding the ears of hii auditory with the words h~n,
cl n. One whu lUps, is near-siglitcdt and wliu has a due regard i
amiable weaknesses, will be prererred.
N.lt. — If he is of pleksjng and accommodating mannen, he will hM
a chance of bein;; introduced to ihe finsl compartv, and three card
every Sunday evening. One who knows a few college jokes, or
has been Chaplain to the Whip Club, will be preferred. He will hsi
no occasion to administer Baptism, &c. &c. there being on old gcnlI^"
man employed, who, on account of extreme distress, has ^rced, for
pounds per annum, to preach in the afternoon, and do all the
work.
Letters must be addressed to James Speculate, Esq. Surve
Oflfice, New Square, Mary-le-Rone.
Apropos of tlie foregoing, " The Goodfcllow's Calendar,
a handbook of humorous anecdote and criticism for ne
every day in the year — some stray leaves of which ha'
found their way into our possession — gives some accoun
of a parson who. it says, would have been eminently
fitted for the situation. **Thc Rev. R. C. Maturin, Curate
of St Peter's, Dublin, and author of one of the most immoral
and trumpery tragedies, ' Bertram,' that ever disgraced
the stage, or gratified the low taste of an acting manager,
died October 3olh 1824. This exemplary pillar of the
Established Church was exceedingly vain, both of
person and accomplishments, and as his income would
allow him to attract attention by the splendour of his d
and manners, he seldom failed to do so by their singularii
Mr Maturin was tall, slender, but well proportioned,
on the whole a good figure, which he took care to disp
in a well-made black coat lightly buttoned, and some
light-coloured stocking-web pantaloons, surmounted,
winter, by a coat of prodigious dimensions, graceful
thrown on, so as not to obscure the symmetry it afTected
to protect. The Curate of St. Peter's sang and danced, a
prided himself on performing the movements and evolutioi
of the quadrille, certainly equal to any other divine of
Established Church, if not to any private lay gentlet
of the three kingdoms. It often happened, too, that
t^PTOUS AKD ECCENTRIC ADVERTISEMENTS. 273
aturin, either laboured under an atUick of gout or met
ilh some accident, which compelled the use of a slipper
\x bandage on one foot or one leg ; and by an unaccount-
ible congruiiy of mischances he was uniformly compelled
^ these occasions to appear in the public thoroughfares
[►f Dublin, where the melancholy spectacle of a beautiful
liinb in pain never failed to excite the sighs and sympathies
t>f ail the interesting persons who passed, as well as to
prompt their curiosity to make audible remarks or inquiries
lespecting the possessor," We are much afraid that the
ranity of Mr Maturin was not wonderfully peculiar, and
irith due allowance for those differences in our styles of
iSress and living which have been made in fifty years, it
irould not be difiicult to find ministers of the gospel who
■rould prove strong rivals to the curate of St Peters.
: In 1S35 the New Times presented the public with the
priginal of that singular advertisement which has been so
ften quoted as an Irish bull, but which would appear to be
ome-brcd : " Wanted by a Surgeon residing at Guildford,
wo apprentices, who will be treated as one of the family."
c Hibernian companion to this would most fitly be the
blin cditor*s statement, in reference to a newly-invented
undry machine, that by its use every man would probably
come his own washerwoman. From washenvomen to
oeral servants is but a step, and so from tlie Times of five-
d-twenly years back we extract a model specimen, sup-
osed to emanate from that rarest of rara avesj a pattern
omestic ; —
O YOU WANT A SERVANT? NccMsity prompts the qoes-
lion. The advertiser OFFERS his SERVICES to any Iti.iy or
ntlcman, company, or othens, in want of a truly faithful, cotifiitential
icrvant in any capacity not menial, where a practical knuwledgc of
buiDan nature in various parts of the wotld would be available. Could
Bnderlake any affair of small or great importance, where talent, invio-
ablc secrecy, or good address would be neccssarj'. Ha* moved in the
Test and wur^t sncietics without Ijcing contaminated by either ; has
sever been a »cn'nnt, bc^s to recommend liimM:l/ a» one who knows
S
I
i
his place ; is moral, temperate, middle-aged ; no objection to latf
part of the world. Could advice any capitalist vi^-hing to increase hif
income nnd Imve the control of his own money. Could act as secretary
or va.lcl to any lady or gentleman. Can give advice or hold his ton^e,
sing, dnnce, play, fence, box, preach a sermon, Icll a story, be gnve
or gny, ridiculous or sublime, or do anything from the curling oft
peruke to the storming of a citadel — but never to excel his master.
Address .
Differing considerably, and yet much in the same line, »
the following, which is amusing from the amount of confi-
dence the writer possesses in his own powers, and the small
value he sets upon the attainments of those who possess
that most valuable qualification of all — property. The
oflTer never to be better than his patron is a condescension
indeed from such a paragon : —
-yO INDEPF.NDENT GENTLEMEN.— Wanted by a respect-
-'■ able, modest young man, who can produce n cubic yaid of
testimonials, a living without a master— that is, he wishes to become a
companion to some gentleman, and l>c his factotum. He can riJc^
shoot, sing, dnh (but never better than his patron without he is wanted^
keep accounts, see that ser\'ants do their duty, do twenty other thingi,
equally nece£sar>' in litis life, and make il his whole duty to please aod
be pleased. Any one seriously wishing siich a person, may address
post paid to Z., to be left at .
Advertisements from the other side — ^from employers-
are also noticeable now and again, as this will show ; —
BOARD AND RESIDENCE FOR WORK— An old liiewiT
pentlcman invites two widow Iadic5, about forty, to assist Ir :i vi
doing without servants, except a charwoman once a week. One 1 1 _.
must undertake entrees, soups, and jellies. Itolh must be strong aojl
healthy, so that the work may be rather pleasant than irksome ; two-
thirds of it being for their own comfort, as no company is ever kept.
A private sitting-room. laundry free. All dining together at seven
o'clock. References of mercantile exactness required. — Address A. Bu,
• staling age and full particulars of antecedent position, &c.
This old literary gentleman was wise in his generation, as
liis offer, though very plausible, meant nothing less than
obtaining two servants without wages, and society as well
CURIOUS AND ECCENTRIC ADVERTISEMENTS, 275
Possibly, however, the fact of the ladies being widows was
supposed, upon the principle of Tony W'eller, to compensate
for shortcomings in the way of salary. Other applications
for a superior class of servants deserve attention, the follow-
ing modest offer for a governess being a case in point : —
WANTED, in a gentleman's family, a young lady, as NURSERY
GOVERNESS, to instruct two young ladies in French, mu.iic,
snd singing, with the usual branches of education, and to take the
entire charge of their wardrobe. She must be of a social dispoMtion
and fond of children, and have the manners of a gentlewoman, as she
will be treated as one of t.hc family. Salary twelve guineas per annum.
Address .
All for the small price of twelve guineas per annum, about
half what a decent housemaid expects, and with less than
half the liberty of a scullion. Yet this advertisement
appeared in the Ttmest and is but the representative of
others of the same kind, not one of which is supposed to
betray meanness or poverty of spirit on the part of its
originator. For twelve guineas a year, the poverty-stricken
orphan or daughter of some once rich speculator is to
teach French, music, singing, writing, arithmetic, geography,
history, and other of the ** usual branches of education," to
two young ladies, who it is only fair to expect would be
much more like the brassfounder's daughter who objected
to Ruth Pinch than similar to the charge of Becky Sharp
when she occupied a governess's position. In addition to
the drudgery of teaching, there is the charge of the young
ladies' wardrobe, which means an occupation of itself; and
then comes — oh, worst of all ! — the social disposition, by
which is undoubtedly meant a capacity for doing whatever
any other member of tlie family may object to do — for
being the drudge of the drawing-room when the little tyrants
of tlie nursery are abed and aslefcp. By the manners of a
gentlewoman is understood a capacity for receiving studied
insult without resentment, and by treatment as one of the
imily such care and comfort as would cause the cook to.
276
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
take her instant departure. And all this for twelve guineas
per annum ! This may be called an overdra^\'n picture, but
that is what is said of most self-evident facts. And wlut
father worthy of the name would die easily if he thought
that his tenderly-nurtured daughters were likely to be grate-
ful for the protection and the salary offered in the foregoing
specimen advertisement ? Yet many a young girl has sml-
denly found herself divested of every luxury, and subject to
the lender mercies of those who regard a nursery governess
as " one of the family/' There is an old story in reference
lo the selection of governesses which is worth repeating
here. A lady wrote to her son requesting him to find a
teacher for his sisters, and enumerating a long list of quali-
fications, somewhat similar to those generally expected in a
pretentious family. The son seems to have been wiser
than his mother, for he replied stating that he had studied
the requirements, and that when he found a young lady
possessed of them all, he should endeavour to engage her,
not as a governess for his sisters, but as a wife for himself.
Marriage alters women, however, as the subjoined notice
from an Irish paper proves to the most sceptical : —
■nUN AWAV FROM PATRICK M'DALLAGIT.-AVhertas my
''■^ wife Mrs Briilgct M'Dnllagh, is again walked away with herwlC
Ami left me with her four small children, and her poor old bhndmullier,
and nobofly else to look after house and home, and, 1 hear, has takw
up with Tim Ciuigan, the lame tiddler— the same that was put in the
stocks last Easter for stealing Barday Doody's gamecock. — This ig to
give notice, that I will not pay for bite or sup on her or his account t*
man or mortal, and that she had better never sliow the mark of her tea
toes near my home again.
Patrick M'Dallagh.
N.B. Tim had belter keep out of my sight.
Mrs Bridget seems to have been in the habit of straying
from the path of virtue and her husband's home, which, if
we are to believe Irish poets and orators, must have been
exceptional behaviour in the land of ** virtue and
in." As if to provide against similar emergency, a
CURIOUS AND ECCENTRIC ADVERTISEMENTS. 277
Farisian puts forth an advertisement, tho translation of
which runs thus :—
A gentleman in his twenty-sixth year, tired of the dissipation of the
great world, is forming a comfortable establiiihment in one of the least
frequented quarters of the city. His domestics are a coachman, cook,
three footmen and a chambermaid. He is in search of a young girl of
good family to improve this honourable situation : she must be well
educated, accomplished, and of an agreeable figure, :fnd will be enter-
tained in the quality of detnoisdle de compagttU. She shall receive the
utmost attention from the household, and be as well served in every
respect as, or even better than, if she were its mistress.
As just now there is constant change of opinion as to
what fonfts the best pavement for the streets with the great-
est traflEic, as the stones which seemed to be agreed on
for ever are every day becoming more and more disliked,
and as the main difference now is which is likely to prove
the more profitable change, asphalt or wood, the following,
from the Times of 1851, may not be uninteresting : —
"IITOOD PAVEMENT.— All poor and distressed cabriolet pro-
' ■ prietors and others, wheresoever dispersed, are particularly re-
quested to FORWARD to us immediately PROVED ACCOUNTS
in writing of all ACCIDENTS to and DEATHS of HORSES, and
Personal and other Ca.sualtics, in order that the several pari^ihcs may
respectfully, in the first place be extra-judicially called on to repay all
damages (at our offices), within one calendar month of our respective
applications, or otherwise have proceedings taken against them respec-
tively in the County Courts, or under superior jurisdictions, and Ix; so
judicially and s{>ccdily made to pay on account of entering into cx-parte
contracts rendering life and limb and travelling generally unsafe and
dangerous in the cxlrenic, and so continuing the bad state of the wood
pavement ; for no contracts can be lawful and right unless impliedly
perused and approved of on behalf of the public generally.
Cole and Scott, Solicitors, 12 Funiival's Inn and Notting IIIU.
If the " Tendon stones " become things of the past, they
and their advocates will be revenged by the undoubted
fact that whatever follows them will, after the novelty has
worn off, be just as much abused as its predecessor, and
most likely changed much more speedily. Deserving of
278
///S7V/?y OF ADVERTiSh\G,
attention, too, though on a totally different matter, is thej
following. It seems hard to believe that a London irad<
man could believe he was likely to get his note bacV b]
informing a man what he must have already known; but
such is the case. This must be wliat is known as "throw*]
ing good money after bad :" —
CORAL NECKLACE.— The gcnCcman who purchased a coral]
Dccklace in BikhupsttAte-strect, on Monday last received
change for ^ £%o note % FIVE-POUND NOTE too much. He
requested to RETURN it.
Vulgar people would say that the buyer of the coral neck-
lace changed his name to Walker after this. But changes
of name are not legal unless duly advertised. Speaking
of advertising changes of name, a title by which those lodg'
ing-house pests, bugs, are now often known, that of Norfolk
Howards, is derived from an advertisement in which onftj
Ephraim Bug avowed his intention of being for the futurej
known as Norfolk Howard. We have never seen
announcement, but have noticed many others, theappend<
being a specimen, though of a much less sensational kirn
than that we have just referred to : —
■VTOTICE.— I, the imderMgned THOMAS HUGHES FORI
•^^ DAVIES, of Abcrccry, in the county of Cardigan, Esq.,
hereby Give Notice, that I fehall, on and after the 1st day of 0<
her, 1873, ASSUME the names THOMAS HUGHES FORDl
HUGHES, instead of the names of Thomas Huglies Forde Davii
which liut- mentioned names I have hitlicrio been known nu J dc&ci 1 bc.J,
And I do hereby request and direct all persons whomsoever to address
and describe me as Thomas Hughes Forde Hughes, and not otherwise.
And I further Give Notice, that I have executed the necessary Dcol
Poll in that behalf, and cause the same to be enrolled in her Majesty's
High Court of Chancery. — Dated this 29th day of September. 1873,
THOMAS HUGHES FORDE DAVXES.
There is a good deal in a name in llie present day, and
there are some names which for obvious reasons do not
smell as sweet as roses, and therefore require changing.
This observation does not, of course, refer to the change
CUJilOUS AND ECCENTRK ADVERTISEMENTS. 279
from Davies to Hughes, of which we know absolutely
j nothing, except iliat it appeared in the S/am/iud oi October
1 1873. As there seems little to choose between the two
names, it is fair to assume that family reasons or property
I qualifications led to the alteration. In the interest of those
I goo<l people who sincerely believe in appearances, we
I select our next example from the columns of the Times,
\ Those, also, who are in the habit of asking what good there
is in a University education will do well to ponder over
these lines: —
ARTICLED ASSISTANT.— If the GENTLEMAN who called at
^^- Messrs and 29, Poultry, <jn Thursday the 30tl) I'cbru-
^B^io answer to an advcrliscmcnt in that day's 7uMes for ''An .\rticled
VStistant " will CALL again at the office to which he was referred,
and where he slated that he was a Cambridge man ^c, no doubt
Btisfactory arrangements can be made, as appearance is ihe chief
object
Appearance is indeed the chief object of attention at the
present day, and its influence goes much farther than
people imagine, even at the very time they are subscribing
to it Not alone does it affect the positions of the drapers*
young man, the shop-walker, and the modLQxn jeune prcmitr,
'the latter of whom may be an idiot so long as he is young,
tall, slim, and good-looking, but it materially influences a
higher class of society. Day after day we see men credited,
by means of lying heads and faces, with the qualifications
H^ abilities they do not possess ; and, on the other hand,
^re as frequently find the mildest and most benevolent of
gentlemen regarded as desperate characters or hard-fisted
old curmudgeons. No one will nowadays believe that a
man who does not look very clever or very foolish can do
anything in literature or the arts above the common run ;
and the most frequent exclamation to be heard after a real
celebrity has been seen is one of disappointment, so little
will he bear comparison with the ideal. Appearances were
never more dcccptivCj and never more believed in, than
they are now.
b
aSo WSTOR Y OP AD VER TISIXG,
Stones of advertising tombstones, some true, some apo-
cryphal, are plentiful, and the best of those in which
reliance can be placed is that about the Parisian grocer.
It is well known that at the Pere la Chaise Cemetery', near
Paris, there stands, or stood, in a conspicuous position, a
splendid monument to Pierre Cabochard, grocer, with a
pathetic inscription, which closes thus : —
His inconsolable widow
dctlicales tliis monument to his memory
and continues the same business at the
old standi 187, Rue Mouffetard.
A gentleman who had noticed the inscription was led by
curiosity to call at the address indicated. Having ex-
pressed his desire to see the widow Cabochard, he was
immediately ushered into the presence of a fashionably-
dressed and fuIl-bcarded man, who asked him what was
the object of his visit " I come to see the widow Cabo-
chard." " Well, sir, here she is." '* 1 beg your pardon, but
I wish to see the lady in person." *'Sir, I am the widow
Cabochard.*' " I don't exactly understand you. I allude
to the relict of the late Pierre Cabochard, whose monumcDt
I saw yesterday at the Pbre la Chaise." *' I see, I see"
was ihe smiling rejoinder. "Allow me to inform you thai
Pierre Cabochard is a myth, and therefore never had 1
wife. The tomb you admired cost me a good deal of
money, and, although no one is buried there, it proves a
first-rate advertisement, and I have had no cause to rci^rrt
the expense. Now, sir, what can I sell you in the wiy of
groceries?" The art of mingling mourning and mone
making was still better illustrated in Uie following notice
a death in a Spanish paper : —
This morning our Saviour summoned away the jeweller, Sieb;
lllmaga, from his shop to anullicr and a better world, 'llic under-
signed, his M'idovv, will weep upon his tomb, as will also his two
daughters, Hilda and Emma; the (onner of whom is married, and
the latter is open to an offer. The funeral will take place to-morrow,
— lli« disconsolate widow, Vcroniquc Illma^ P.S. This bereave-
nous AND ECCENTRIC ADVERTiSEMENTS. i8(
will not intcmipt our employment which will be carried on as
,, only our place of husincss will l»c removc<l from No. 3, Tcssi dc
taricn to No, 4, Rue de Missionairc, aa our grasping landloal
used our rent,
vertiseraenu which now and again appear in the
■ from people who seek employment or money are
Hcurious and eccentric, and in none of them do the
pi suffer at all from bashfulness or modest ideas of
rown qualifications. In this, which is an appeal for a
ition, the constructor describes himself as
HiARACTER. — The noblemen and gentlemen of England ore
respectfully informed that the advertiser is a self-taught man — a
runs." He has travelled (chiefly on foot) through the United
[dom of Great Britain and Ireland, in Holland, Germany, Swilzcr-
, Belgium, France, and Italy. He has conducted a popular ptri-
ll, written a work of fiction in three vols., published a ^yittcm of
logy, composed a drama, .studied Hamlet, been a political lecturer,
«acber, a village schoolmasier, a pawnbroker, a gcneial shop-
er; lias been acquainted with more than one founder of a sect,
is now (he thanks rrovidence) in good health, spitits, and cliar*
\ uul of debt, and living in charily with all mankind. During the
tedcr of his life he thinks he would feci quite at home as sccrc<
Hmanuensix, or companion to any nubleiuau or gentleman who
agagc a once erratic but now sedate being, whose chief delight
ists in seeing and making those around him cheerful and happy.
Fi A. Z.| at Mr. 's, Street, Regent's Park.
a rule, when people break out in this style they are
;h more in want of the money than the work, although
r cloak their actual desires under the guise of applica-
s for situations or employment. There are not a few,
t«r, who come boldly to the point, as the following,
■om the Times, shows : —
AN OF RANK» holding a distinguished public office, moving
in the highest society, and with brilliant prospects— has been
cnly called upon to pay some thousands of pouiuU, owing to the
lit of a friend for whom he had become ydaranicc. As Ins present
are unable to meet this demand, and he can offer no adequate
for a loan, ihc consequence must be ruin to himself and his
2S3
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
family, unless some individual of wealth und muniAKQce will
forward to avcil this caUmiiy, by applying ^^4000 to his rescue. Fa
this he fnmkly avows llial he can, iu prc&cnt drcum<i lances, offer
other return than hb gratitude. A pergonal interview, however pair
will be readily granted, in the confidence lliJtt the generosity of
benefactor will be the best guarantee for liis delicate observance
secrecy, lie hopes his distressing condition will protect him from
prying of heartless curio&ity, and to prevent the approadies of mone
holders, he begs to repeat that he con give no security. Addiess
"Anxious/* General Post Office, London.
For the benefit of those who are curious about men
rank, ami in the interests of those who may like to spc
lute as to who this holder of a distinguished public of
may have been, we will state that the advertisement
peared just thirty years ago. There were then, and ha^
been since, many men in office who wanted four thousand
pounds ; in fact it would be a hard matter to find a man
anywhere to whom that amount — or, for the matter of tbit
a good bit less — would not be agreeable. That these
vertiseraents were not altogether fruitless, this, from
Times of February 1851, would seem to show : —
TKURO. — The generous friend who transmitted from this ^_
under cover to the Secretary, G.P.O. an ENVELOPE contoiui
a SUM of MONEY is gratefully informed that the individual for wl
it wot intended was reltevcd by it to an extent of wliich he can form
conception, and is earnestly entreated COMMUNICATIC, if not
name, at least an address to which a letter may be sent. W. H.
Men reduced in circumstances seem to have less
less chance as the world gels older. There would not
much good got out of an advertisement for money noi
days, whatever the original position of advertiser, unV
he could ])roraise something in return. His promise migl
be quite impossible of pertormance, but still it woul
be something; and if we are to judge by most of t1
swindling advertisements which have succeeded in takil
in thousands of people, the more improbable the under-"
taking the more probable the success. Here is another
man of hi^h rank, of later (.late, who only asks for ciupioy-
ment. A good pinch of salt must, we think, be taken with
the concluding sentence of the application : —
TT WOULD BE A NOBLE ACT OF HUMANITY if any gencr-
:" ou$ and kind-hearted individual would procure or grant EMPLOY-
9CENT to a suflering individual, in whose behalf this appeal is made.
He is of high rank, education, and manners, and in every point of
Ticw fit to fill any situation. He is without influential friends, and
lioin complicated frauds and misfortunes, is unable to continue the
^noui^on of eight lovely children. He seeks nothing for himself,
•SOepi to be so placed, giving to the hands of his kind benefactor all
he receives for his children's present and future support. This will
flftve him from a broken heart. Any situation that will enable him to
this object will be received with heartfelt gratitude, and filled
hononr, assiduity, and fidelity. Most respectable reference, Sec.
^3. No pecuniary assistance can be received. Address .
A man of " high rank, education, and manners," without
influential friends, is certainly an anomaly in this country;
"•nd the " eight lovely children" forcibly remind us of the
luge families which begging-letter impostors and cadgers
Scneraliy have constantly at home, hungering not so much
SRar education as for bread and meat. The mention of high
l>irth reminds us of the many advertisements which have in
the course of years appeared from people who, not satisfied
"With being rich, seek to be fashionable, and who offer free
quarters and other advantages to any one possessed of tlie
oniric to Society, and yet not over-gifted witl\ the more
solid blessings of this world. Of course these generally
appear in the most fashionable papers, and the specimen
"which follows is taken from the Mornittg Post of half-a-
dozen years ago. With the exception that it mentions
foreign towns, it is almost identical with others which have
appeared in reference to our own most exclusive circles : —
SEASONS at SPA and BRUSSELS.— A Lady and Gentleman,
well connected, offer to RECEIVE as their OUEST, free of all
expense, a lady or a gentleman of family, who, in sole return for the
freedom of home, a)uld give the entree into Belgian society. Spa in
the summer, Brussels in the winter. A small establishment A good
SS4
HISTORY OF ADVERTISISG.
cook. The highest refcreuccs. — Address P. R.j Postc RcsUnlx^
Brus&eU.
Such notices as this go far to prove the truth of the
saying that there arc blessings beyond price, that is, of.
course, always supposing the advertisements were iinsuca
ful We shall never in future meet any loud vulgar per
in Society — provided we are ever admitted within the sa<
portal — without suspecting him of having crawled in
means of bribery. Yet our suspicions may alight upon
very leaders ^ii ion; for, so far, the most vulgar men wci
met— among gentlemen — were a horse-racing earl andi
coach-driving viscount, and they could have been bacJ
against any four men in that army, the peculiarities of whic
while in the Low Countries, will be found recorded
"Tristram Shandy." Among other advertisements in
columns of the leading journal, worthy of notice in
chapter, arc those singular effusions wliich appear at inl
vals, especially during any period of political effervescei
and which consist of mad schemes, the offspring of
thusiastic patriots and headlong regenerators of the naut
The following is a fair specunen of these : —
TO THE MINISTERS OF STATE, NOBILITY. AND O
M UNITY AT LARGE.— A Remedy for Uic distresses of
lantl. Every considerate person iidmits ihe present cnndilion of
to be perfectly anomalous. A remedy has at length been
— a rcracdy which would effectunlly arrest the projjress of pau]
confer incalculable benefits upon the industrial community, and
joy and gladness throughout the length and breadth of the land,
luigland (without cxai;j;eration) the en\7 of surrounding nalioi
the admiration of the world. The plan possesses the peculiar
being practicable, and easy of application, without in the
degree infringing the rights of proi>crty as by Jaw cstablist
any way disturbing the present relations of society. The
will communicate his discovery either to the ministers of state, noI
or those who may take an interest in the wcUbeing of society, on
dition of his receiving (if his plans are approved, and made avoilj
for Oie purposes contemplated) ^^100,000. "If the nation be
it j<i not to be saved by the ordiaory operations of statesmanship.'
Ashley. Address .
*/Ol/S AKD RCCENTRIC ADVERTISEMENTS. 285
this chapter, the mysterious " i^ersonal " advertise-
ts which years ago were so frequent and so extra-
nary — but which now are rarely noticeable except when
>led to the purposes of puffing tradesmen, or when they
more than ordinarily stupid — must naturally receive
ntion. Now and again a strange announcement attracts
tie curiosity in the present day j but for good specimens
jhc dark and mysterious advertisement we must go
■irenty years, and by so doing we shall be enabled at
Bmae time to give a very good reason why people who
espond through the public papers in cipher or other-
r are careful not to attract particular attention. This
on will exhibit itself by means of two cryptographic
rimens selected, which appeared in the Timcs^ and were
means of showing that writers of secret signs and pass-
Js must be clever indeed if they would evade the lynx
K those who are ever ready for a little mild excitement,
ose hobby it is to solve riddles and discover puzzles.
tainly there must be more pleasure in finding out the
uing of a secret "personal than in answering the
blc acrostic charades with which the weekly papers
rai, and which must occupy the attention of thousands,
le quantities of correct and erroneous replies that are
kd at the various offices may be accepted as evidence,
early part of 1853 a mad-looking advertisement
eared in the Times, which ran thus : —
iNERENTOLA. — N bnxm yt ywd nk dlz Kfs wjfi ymnx U\ fr
rtxy fscnizx yt mjfw >Tnf esi bmjs du wjyrws, f iiiub qtsldts
IS, mjwj It bwnyf f kjb qn'-jx jfn'qn&l uqjfxj : N mfaj gjjs ajwd
kwtr mfund xnshy dlz bjsy fbfd.
Icli being interpreted, reads : "Cenerentola, I wish to
if you can read this, and am most anxious to hear the
jvhen you return, and how long you remain here. Do
a few lines, darling, please. I have been very far
'happy since you went away." This appeared in
1, and some difficulty appears to be in the way,
386
mSTOHY OF ADVERTISING.
for it is not till the nth that we find another, which
evidently not in reply, and equally evidently not satisfactocf^
It says : —
CENERENTOLA. — Zsynq rd mjfwy nx xnlip mfaj ywnji yt
fs jcufififynts kwt die giy hfs-ity. Xnqj^hj nx xfs jxy nk
jTTiij hfixj nx sty xoc jhyji ; nk ny nx fgg xytwnjx bngg gj xnkyji]
ymj E'yy"' Jt du wjrjtigjw uw htzzns'x knwxy uwtutxoyats
ikny.
As this system simply consisted in commencing
alphabet with the letter f and continuing in regular
quence, the explanation of the last specimen is all
obvious ; but so that there should be no difliculty or d(
about it, and so that the intriguers should know they
discovered, some literary lockpicker inserted on the 15!
in the usual personal column of the TimeSy a full translation
correcting all errors of the printer, and concluding with
notice in the secret language, which must have frightened
originators. The explanatory advertisement runs thus t— |
CENERENTOLA, until my beart is sick have I tried to fran«.
explanation for you, but cannot. Silence U iinfest, if the
cause is not suspected : if it is all stories will be sifted to the
Do you remember our cousin's first proposition? Think of it.-
pstb Dlz.
The cryptogram at the end is a warning, for, subjected
the test, we find it is neither more nor less than " I ki
you.*' This seems to have efleclually silenced the origii
but the marplots were probably still at work, for on the ij
of February another notification appears, this time in pi
English, and running thus : —
CENERENTOLA, what nonsense 1 Your cousin's proposition ill
absurd. I have given an explanation — the true one — which hul
perfectly satisfied both panics — a thing which silence never could
cfTected. So no more such absurdity.
How miserably small the inventor of this cipher mui
have felt, and how ridiculous those most interested must
^^^tm
CURIOUS AND ECCENTRIC ADVERTISEMENTS, aSy
re appeared to each other, we leave to the imaginations of
>5e readers who have suddenly been stopped in any grand
;ht to find themselves as idiotic as they had before con-
lered themselves ingenious. Doubtless the Cenerentolans
tt not want for sympathisers even amongst those who affect
yst to ridicule them. Much about the same time as the
itance we have given, and vhile the rage for secret ad-
ttising was in its meridian, one of the most remarkable
mples of the kind appeared — remarkable as much for its
int of reason as for anything else. On February 20, 1 85 2,
e are told by the Qultrtarfy, there appeared in the Ts'mes
c following mysterious lines : —
TIG tjohw it tig jfhiirvola og tig psgvw.
F. D. N.
This was a little above the ordinary hand, and many
tempts at deciphering it failed. At last the following
q>lanation was published in the Quarterly. If we take
te first word of the sentence, Tig, and place under its
«ond letter, i, the one which alphabetically precedes it,
kd treat the next letters in a similar manner, we shall have
« following combination : —
T i g
h f
Reading the first letters obliquely, we have the article
The ; '* if we treat the second word in the same manner,
e following will be the result : —
Tjohw
i n g V
m f a
e t
s .
lich read in the same slanting way produces the word
-mes. So far our authority is correct, and here we
ive him. The following participle and article are of
2S8
niSTOR Y OF AD VERTISJNG,
course evident, and llien comes the principal word of ll
sentence, which the transcriber makes to be Jefft^ric
which it is doubtless intended to be ; but in his hurry tl
inventor or solver has made a mistake, as is shown upon
attempt at the same conclusion : —
f II
i
i
r V
o
I
a
« g
K
ll
q u
n
k
X
f
g
&
P t
m
J
y
f
r
0 s
I
X
e
n r
k
h
V
m q
i
g
V
P
f
e
d
u
t
s
r
This gives the word as Jeffemphdr, an expression whK
if it can be expressed at all, is very dissimilar from that]
expected, after being told that the sentence read—
The Times u the Jeffcries of ihe press.
We have taken this trouble and used this space in
endeavour to sec if the letters would make " Jcffc
because we have always had a suspicion that th(
explainer was also the originator. The advertise
without being rendered into Knglish, could not have
fied the malice or satisfied the spite of its writer; am
any one else had discovered the key and made the al
he would have remarked the error, it is but fair to
that *' F. D. N.," whoever else he may have been, wa?
individual whom a writer in the Quarterly Hrvim; a
of years or so afterwards, described as the friend]
'* was curious and intelligent enough to extract the
English out of it," and whose design we commenced'
Was he an author who had been slated in the
However, as the advertiser evidently meant Jeffreys^j
ever he may have fancied to spell it, the explanation
Cl'/t/Ol/S Ah'D ECCENTRIC ADVERTISEMENTS. 289
be taken as all right* This and the preceding advertise-
ment must have set people thinking that it was hardly safe
to trust to secrets in the papers, no matter how carefully
disguised; but the crowning blow to cryptographic com-
munication was given by means of the " Flo " intrigue,
^hich created some little sensation, and was the cause of a
good deal of amusement at the close of the year 1853 and
the beginning of 1S54. On November 29 of the first-
named year the following was first seen in the Times : —
FLO.— 1821 82374 09 30 S4541. 844532 18140650. 8 54584 2401
322650 526 08555 94400 021 [2 30 84541 22 05114650. 726
85400 021,
II may be as well to premise that the idea of the *' Flo"
S)"stem was to make an alphabet with the nine numerals
and the cipher, and the correspondents evidently prided
themselves, poor innocents, on having arranged the letters
arbitrarily and not in regular order, and fixed the tell-tale
capital I when standing alone at 8 :— -
01234567
y u o i e a d k
s t n m r 1 q g
X c
8 9
h i
w p
So the communication read : *' Flo, thou voice of my
Our informalion of this advertisement, and the duo to il5 explana.*
was. u already slated, obtained from an article in the Quarterly
On reference to the Times to discover whether the Jcffcrics
was right or not, wc could not for a long time find the parlicu-
DOlice we were in search of, At last, after the above was written,
ler dale February 10, it was found ; and then we saw that the word
"Jfhiiwola," which subjected to the process as above, will give
required name. We have preferred to explain tliis in full, as the
^rferly is undoubtedly entitled to the merit of deciphering the
piit£le, if not to anything else ; and any alteration or correction of ours
VOuld have detracted from such merit, wliich is original, and without
rhich the quaint lilicl mij^ht still have remained in obscurity. Besides,
shows buw a small printer's enor may spoil the calculations of a
:k, in matters like tills.
!90
JIISTOR Y or AD VER TISING.
»
heart 1 Berlin, Thursday. I leave next Monday, and sM
press you to my heart on Saturday. God bless you." How
they communicated for the next month does not appear,
but judging by the quotation just given, it is to be supposed
personally, and that another separation occurred soon after^
for on December 21 there is this : —
■pLO.— iSar 82374 29 30 84541 8 53 02 522450. 8 3300 021
•^ 324418524844- 8522751021493711444844023781. 80426
02I 52 326352 08585 12 8459 42116 021 S8354 505449 59144
632344. 31 8355 7449 021 S543 526 021 3101 95270 1S51 31 5430
544 42126 021. 726 S54OO 02I.
Which, errors included, reads : " Flo, thou voice of my
heart, I am so lonely. I miss you more than ever. I look
at your picture every night. I send you an Indian shawl
to wrap rou/d you while asleep after dinner. It will keciJ
you warm, and you must fancy that xvU arms are round
you, God bless you." Two days afterwards the neit
appears, though the translation hardly gives a substantial
reason for the repetition : —
•pLO.— 184 5501 850 84227 8 44945" 3'- 1821 82374 =9 Jo
^ 84541 8 53 02 522450. 8 3300 021 3244 1852 4S44. 8 5237
51 0214 937"44 4S140 23781. 8 0426 021 52 326352 08585 U
8459 4^<26 021 88354 505449 59144 63224 31 8355 7449 021 854)
526 021 3101 95270 1S51 30 5430 544 42126 021. 726 85400 Q2L
828 8 62 5284 021,
This makes : " Flo, the last was wrong, I repeat
Thou voice of my heart, I am so lonely. I miss you in<
than ever. I look at your picture ev?/ry night. I send yotf '
an Indian shawl to wrap round you while asleep after dinar.
It will keep you warm, and you must fancy my amis are
round you. God bless you. How I do love you ! " Itwii
jc liard to discover, if the last was wrong, how this
be right, as for each error he corrects he makes anotht
Then we go on to llie new year, and on January 2 rect
racnce with the following : —
CVKIOl/S AND ECCENTmC ADVERTISEMENTS. 291
"PLO.— 30 282 5284 S53 85990 57532 31 30 5374 5S57317 9423
■*• 5 S56 64453. o2< 544 30 5334 <2 722S 1851 18^44 305
7S5274 29 044327 02.1 12 8454 9423 021 12 62 1S3270 12 42217.S.
S 0S555 140 5i6 044 021 0222 S4314 13 34 50 29142 50 021 753
726 S5400 021 1821 S2174 29 30 S4541.
Difficulties seem lo have been removed by this time, for
when the magic of the key has been tried upon it tlie adver-
tisement just quoted says this : ** Flo, my own love, I
am happy again ; it is like awakening from a bad dream.
YoiJ are, my liwe [? life], to know that there is a chance of
seeing you, to hear from you, to do thin^^s to enough [there
is an evident bungle here]. I shall try and see you soon.
Write to me as often as you can. God bless you, thou vowce
of my heart ! " The wise men who had been content to
understand this so far, now thought it time that these turtle-
doves should know they were not so wise as they supposed,
and that their cipher was being read regularly. So on Janu-
ary 6 the Timts contained the following : —
"pLO.— 1821 82374 29 3g 84541. 828 8 62 5284 021. 828 544021
•T 0S555 021 84 5536 19 1830 094 327. 8 752 044 021 8557327
83180214 6545327 8S5 1 882156 7384 12 S4 83i8o2r. 185270 924
03'4 ^y^^ 541*44 8 9454 2218327 811 0495 451332 9423 021 02I
54430S2456 305394308294, 1821 3244 1852 5394 95448455 726
85400021.
And this when read must have caused some feeling of
consternation, as it was an evident burlesque of the real
correspondent's style: "Flo, thou voice of my heart!
How I do love you! How are you? Shall you be laid
up this spring? I can sec you walking with your darling.
What would I give to be with you ! Thanks for your last
letter. I fear nothing but separation from you. You are
my world, my life, my hope. Thou more thnn life, fare-
well ! God bless you !** The natural effect of this was to
cause an alarm to be given, and so on the following day the
following was inserted in the famous private column : —
FLO.— 8 9454 6454401 214739844306307284446. 843r4 5i2274
12 0214 943426 "326352 0S585." 9. 2. 8177327853. S1770
W^'^^l
391
laSTOKY OF ADVERT/SIXG,
m
thc^
run
inn
Which drops the curtain upon " Flo" and her lover, who is
more than likely not to have been her husband — and this
without affecting the question as to her being married. It
is translated in these words : *' Flo. — I fear, deares^^
our cipher is discovered. Write at once to your friend^"
*' Indian Shawl," P. O., Buckingham, Bucks." So much
for secret correspondences, which arc not often lo be
seen nowadays, though when any one is found foolish
enough to confide in the press under these circumstances,
the comic papers almost invariably make capital out of th'
communications, and give to their less acute readers fi
information. Here is one we fell across the other day i
the TeUp-aph. We must admit to a decided ignorance as
to what it means, but perhaps the reader, profiting by the
foregoing, will be able to decipher it :—
jy" ANGAROO revived by bones, though nearly choked by a piece of
•^ *• one after swallowing five hard biscuits. Troubled. Four cat
two six camel five two one eight pig one boar in every way. Four nine
leopard one four elephant three four seven boor. Faithful until deaLb.
This looks like an attempt to set the cryptographists on a
wrong scent, and probably means nothing. If it really is %.
genuine communication, its scope must be extremely limited
Many of the mysterious advertisements which appear in the
usual style are very noticeable, though of late the art hai
fallen a prey to the vendors of quack medicines and cheap
books, and the managers of some theatres and music halls,
What has been characterised, and with every probability of
truth, as the most ghastly advertisement that ever appeared
in a public journal is the following, which is taken from the
Times of the year 1S45. It certainly is a most frightful
paragraph : —
TO THE PARTY WHO POSTS HIS LETTERS 1]
PRINCE'S STREET, LEICESTER SQUARE. —Yot
family is now in a stale of exciiement unbearable. Your nttcntion
calletl to an advertisement in Wednesday's Morning Advertiser, headc
A Ijody found drowned at Deptford." After your ovowaj lo yc
CURIOO'S AXD ECCENTRIC ADyERTISEMENTS. 2^3
friend u to what yoa might do» he has heen to sec the decomposed
remains, accompanied by others. The features are gone ; bat there are
marks on tlic arm ; so thai unless they hear from you lo-day, it will satisfy
ihem that the remains are those of iheir misguided relative, and stepH
will be directly taken to place them in the family vault, as they cannot
bear the idea of a pauper's funcra).
The most horrible subject has, however, a ludicrous side,
and the idea of the decomposed remains objecting to paro-
liaJ interference is as dreadfully funny as the matter gener-
ly is dreadfully shocking. In another notice, five years
later, there is, as it were, a plaintive moan, the cry of a weak
and disticssed woman, who has no " strong mind " to enable
her to bear up against infidelity and loss. Listen to it : —
n^HE one'Winged Dove must die unless the Crane returns to be a
•^ shield against her enemies.
Far different is the next, which is a couple of years later,
and which displays as much strength of purpose and self-
dependence as its forerunner betrays weakness : —
IT is enough ; one man alone upon earth have I found noble. Away
from me for ever ! Cold heart and mean spirit, you have lost what
millions— empires — could not have bought, but which a single word
truthfully and nobly spoken might have made your own to all eternity.
Yet are you forgiven : depart in peace : I rest in my Redeemer.
The reader can imagine the flashing eyes and indignant
face of a proud and wronged woman, as this is read; and
it might well be taken as the text for a whole volume of a
modern novel. The next which we select is still from the
Timts^ and appeared several days in succession in February
1853. It forms a good companion to that which precedes it :
TO M. L. L. — M. L, I,., j-oa have chosen your own lot : mny it be
a happy one I and if it be $0 I would not have you think of the
detobte heart you leave behind ; but oh ! my child, if sorrow ihould
ever overtake you, if you «hould find, when too late, that you have
been leaning on a broken reed ; then, my Maria, come back to her
whose heait has ever clierished you ; she will always be ready to receive
•
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
Maybe M. L L. lias proved herself devoid of gnti-
tude, and left a kind home to follow the fortunes of some
adventurer. But the good heart of the advertiser does not
turn sour, nor does she give vent to repining ; and so even in
advertisements do we see the finest as well as the worst sides
of human nature. In the same paper that contained the ad-
dress just given we stumbled across one of the most laconic
notices ever seen. It says —
IF 11. R, will Return, I will forgive him,
E. R.
This is evidently from a relenting parent, whose sternness
has been subdued by the continued absence of his prodigal
Most likely the latter returned, and went away again as soon
as " the guv'nor" showed signs of resuming sway. And so
on through one of those wretched liramas with which all
people must be acquainted, in which the principal charac-
ters are a broken-hearted mother, a worn-out and prema-
turely old father, and an utterly demoralised, drunken, and
perhaps dishonest son. who is most likely a brutal husband
as well. Of quite another kind is this, which is also from
the Times: —
TO EQUATOR.— FoTtuna audaccs juvat Viiicil omnia vcril
E, W.
As we have before remarked, the newspapers of to-daf I
give us no such specimens of secret and mysterious advtf^j
tising as those we have unearthed, although the opportune
ties are far more numerous than^and we presume the ocCA^
sions quite as frequent as — they were twenty years ago, for
every daily paper, and a good many of the weeklies, now
keep special columns for the display of private announce-
ments. Quite unique, however, in its way is one which
appeared in LloyiVs half-a-dozcn years ago. It says l!ut
BARRIET AHS HARRT OOMFTON
A'^l^ wcU. — 124, Stamford -street, Lambeth.
CURIOUS AND ECCENTRIC ADVERTISEMENTS. 295
The ignorance may be crass, but we are bound to con-
fess that even now we are not aware of the claims upon
publicity of Mr and Mrs Compton. The infonnalion is
given in style worthy of a royal bulletin, and doubtless it
much interested all whom it may have concerned. A very
faint attempt at cryptography is made in an advertisement
which appeared comparatively recently in one of the penny
papers, the writer of which must have had great faith in the
Uulness of the British public if he thought that backward
writing would not be at once detected. This is it : —
TUCKY 6tl. and 4d. ! ! — Came back by train a few minutes after
•^ meeting you tbat forenoon, the only real reason for my coming.
Always the sjunc feeling for you as expressed. Od eiirw ecno ot pihs
ot yft& Qoy evah nees silit. Quite efos Kolias. Will sometimes advertise
The next is a specimen of the present day, and is from
the Times, Want of logical consequence is its chief charac-
teristic : — •
CANNOT mistake the decision of continued exceeding courtesy.
Awaited, but could not identify. Forgive, dear, if 1 have been
too superstitious. 'Tifi the 6rst fault, though twice repeated, and yuu
slUi hold the lash.
Readers may possibly remember two rather singular ad-
vertisements which appeared in the Tde^aph quite recently,
and were full of gratitude to the firm which had unwittingly
led to a pleasant if questionable acquaintance between two
persons. After this luncheon-baskets will probably be
carried by all gentlemen anxious for adventure— that is,
when they travel on lines the authorities of which graciotisly
permit ihdr caterers to supply them. Here is the first : —
THE Udy who travelled from Bedford to London by Midland train
on the night of the 4lh inst, can now MEET the GENTLE-
MAN who sliarcd with her the contents of his railway luncheon
basket. She enjoys the recollection of that pleasant meal, and would
like to know if he is going on another journey. Will keep any ap-
(wintmenL made at the Criterion in Ticcadilly. — Answer to A.
The application seems to have had the desired effect, for
a day or two afterwards this was published ; —
29G
inSTOR Y OF AD VER 7ISJNG.
A will meet yon at ihe Criterion, on Wednesday, at tlirec.
"**• going on anoUier journey shortly, and will provide lanchi
basket.— F. M.
Any one who has travelled a distance by Midland
any other of the lines supplied with refreshments by Spi(
& Pond, must have noted what a great boon to
traveller is the well-stocked basket, which can be tak<
in full at one station and delivered out wholly or partial!]
cmpiy, according as appetite serves, at another. Yet
luncheon-basket is a very small item in the revolutionise
total Those who have sufifered under the old system
railway refreshments, will admit that Spiers & Pond ful
deserve whatever credit has been given them for the
efforts in the public interest. Ten years ago no man :
his senses would have dreamt of applying for food or drii
at a railway buffet while he could go elsewhere ; now Spiel
& Pond daily serve thousands who desert the old familiar
taverns and crowd the bars at the various City station!
Among the many great feats in the way of providing ft
the hungry and the thirsty performed by this firm is on(
which has claims for particular notice, as it is told in
official report of a Wimbledon meeting. For the campinj
time the following is the record : Of bread there wei
eaten 25,000 lbs. ; of butter 3 tons; of cheese i ton;
bacon 11 cwt. ; of hams 3 Ions ; of eggs 23,350 ; of re
52,677 ; of flour 36 sacks ; of tea 1967 lbs. ; and of coffc
2240 lbs.; 15 tons weight of meat were eaten, and i446foT
with 626 ducklings, and 304 goslings. In the way offish,
consumption of salmon reached 6200 lbs., with 1*667 soU
400 turbot, 80 brill, and 2330 lobsters. Vegetables w<
devoured to the amount of 12 tons, to which must
added 40,000 lettuces and 500 quarts of shelled peas,
fancy pastry 5000 pieces were made, with 1120 lbs.
biscuits, and 2460 quarts of cream and water ice. Add
these 720 baskets of strawberries, 75 lbs. of grapes, 4<
pine-apples, 287 tongues, 10,800 bottles of aerated w
UOUS AXD ECCENTJ^TC ADy£K7ISEAfE.\TS. 297
15 533 gallons of wine, 130 dozen and 312 gallons
Suits, 348 hogsheads of beer, 275 lbs. of tobacco, 300
s of cigars, 67 gallons of salad oil, 3 J hogshead of
jar, 150 lbs. of mustard, 6000 gallons of claret cup,
^s of lemons, 84 tons of ice brought direct from the
Bividc from Norway, 33 gallons of various sauces, 120
ns of pickles, 25,000 sandwiches, 34 tons of sugar, 30
of currants, and 25,000 lbs. of *' Volunteer'' plumcakc.
lition to these, large quantities of wines, spirits, &c.,
tpplied to sutlers, messmen, and volunteers. On
lent occasions, when, for reasons best known to
;lves, the Rifle Association has provided its own com-
ariat, it has been discovered that the efforts of Spiers
were by no means overpraised at the time, and
laudatory notices received by the men who came
lUstralia to teach the mother country a profitable
were well deserved. Spiers & Pond have, it is
;t ample recognition from the press ; yet now and
lose gentlemen who consider it the whole duty of a
ist to sneer at ever^'body and everytliing have had
lal fling, and have written about pretentious eating-
Flceepers, forgetful of the fact that a dozen years or
go they were crying their eyes out because the weary
flier in Great Britain could nowhere find the accom-
Kn he was so anxious to pay for. \Vc have been
not to stray into the opposite extreme, though a
urse of railway journeying under the old regime ot
Idy pork-pies and stale Banbury cakes has made us feel
rU disposed to a firm whose name has already passed
ffproverb.
me little interest was exhibited in the annexed, which
ared in the Times a few weeks back, and, according
te side espoused, looks like just indignation or brutal
ice : —
fLD this meet the eye of the lady who got into the 12.30 train
[cw Cross Station on Fndny, May 15, with two boys, one of
evidently juit recnvering from an illness, she maybe pleased
39S
IHS7VKY OF advehtisikg.
lo learn that three of (he four young ladies who were in the carrisce
very ill with the measles, and ihe health of llie fourth ii far from ml
her relations cuuld dcMre.
ll has been quite the fashion to say how wrong it was
the lady with the sick boys to get into a train and sprea
infection ; and nobody secuis to have thought that the poof''
lads wanted change of air — liad perhaps been ordered it As
no special provision is made for the travelling sick — or for ihc
matter of that, for the travelling healthy — the fault, if fault
there be, lies not with the mother, who was anxious for the
recovery of her cliildren, but with the railway authoriti*
Judging from the tone of the advertisement, we should thi
that the advertiser would have resented any intcrfereW
had his or her young ladies been travelling as invali(
instead of being jn that state of health wliich is most
ject to the attacks of disease. The case is hard, argu«
from either side, but it seems very unfair to cast the bh
all one way.
I'he last example we shall give of this kind of advertisic
shows lliat extended space is used for " personals," witboul
any extension of interest, the following being but a raiiil
kind of raving on the part of a weak-minded man alter an
obstinate woman. It appeared early during tlie pi
year (1874) in the Tde^-aph: —
TITARY ANN C. — Do return home. You Inbour under an ilh
•^•■^ \\lmt you wish to accuse me with does not txist.
solemnly declare. I have at last a good position, but am so wretc
that I cannot attend to my duties properly. Many hnppicr rclunai
the 1st. God's blessing be \vilh thee, and that He may tend ihy
to believe me in truth. I'ut six years of love and happiness a|
your accusation, and you must feci that you are wTong. Oh, yott
very, very wrong. Do write and give me an appointment, so that
pincss may be rc-cstabllshed. You must be very unhappy, but
God's sake do not be so strong*ininded. My love and devotion
unaltered. For your own peace, my sweet, pretty, good wife, coi
back, \Vlicn death parts it is sad enough, but to jiart while tii
and without true cause, creates and leaves wretchedness to
Come back to your unhappy bui irue-loviug husband.
CURIOUS AiVD ECCENTRrC ADVERTISEMENTS, 299
These last extracts are quite sufTicient to show the style
ich now obtains in this class of advertisements, and to
)ve that what a score of years ago promised to be a ncver-
ling source of amusement has become sadly deficient of
original properties.
Familiar to many people, among curious announcements,
be the following, which is one of many similar that have
tinoc to time appeared in the leading journal : —
^HE CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER acknowledges the
receipt of the firel halves of iwo £^\Q notes, conscience- money,
br unpaid Incomc<Ta.\.
The man who sends conscience-money for income-tax
must have been virtuous indeed, if the evasion of that im-
post has been through life his worst sin. There are many
Otherwise estimable persons whose greatest pride it is that
they have never paid income-tax unless compelled. Yet
men have in ordinary matters the greatest abliorrence
ything mean or paltry, and their general conduct might
fely contrasted with that of the bestowers of conscience-
Inoney. So, after all, there is something more than a joke
in the humourist's idea of a grand new patriotic song called
"Never pay your taxes till you're summoned, my boys !"
Those who wear artificial teeth must have been now and
again indescribably shocked by advertisemenls like the fol-
ilowing, which, scarce a short time back, are getting more
and more frequent, so that what at first appeared a revolting
nddie to the many, may have now developed into a lucra-
tive pursuit for the few. Is it right to suppose that new sets
of teeth are made up from second-hand materials ? If so,
how horrible I
WANTED to PURCHASE some OLD ARTIFICIAL TEETH.
Persons having ihc ahovc lo sell can apply, with the Icclh, or,
XL forwarded by post ihcir value will be sent per rctum.— Mr .
Theatrical advertisements arc. as has been remarked,
often very funny, and wliclher from ignorance on the
300 HiSTOR Y OF ADVERTISISG.
part of the writers, or the prevalence of technolc
the columns of the Era absolutely teem wjth startii^
notices, which when coupled with the really remarkable
well as " original " correspondence, and the provinci
critiques, make the chief theatrical organ one of the mi
genuine among comic papers, and this is none the
so because the Erds comicality is unintentional- A
specimen of the general style is given in an advertisemc
appearing in March 1874, and if our reproducing it will
of any use to Messrs Gcnza & Volta, they are quite wel-
come. In fact it would be sad to think that sucli an effor
should go unrewarded : —
Nil AcImirarL
GONZA and VOLTAI
CONZA and VOLTA ! • I
GONZA and VOLTA I ! !
The Modem Hercules and Achilles. The GoHalhao Cymt
The Champions of Olympia Resuscitated. The greatest Athletes
the Christian Eta.
M. DE GONZA, the famous Mexican Athlete of the Golden
and Olympic Club; also of Crj-stal Palace, Cirques Napoleon and'
rimpcralrice celebrity, and late Proprietor of Gonza's Transatlj
Combination Company, has much pleasure in annoiincinf; that (I
Colossal Sensation he is about submitting to the World's criticism i*1
course of progression, and that he has secured the serA-ices of £D001
VOLTA, the grandest Aerial Bar Performer of (he period, who
have the honour of making his First Appearance in England in
junction with M. DE GONZA'S New Aerial Athletic Pcrfori
M. DE GONZA» without desiring to eulogise, prognosticates thatl
coming achievement will introduce an astonishing epoch in gymnactic
In ancient days mvthologicfll conceptions were framed by senile philor
ophers for the wonder and delectation of tlie inhabitants of the
B.C.. more particularly during the existence of Rome under the Empii
when the stupendous Colosseum lived in its glory, and where mj
witnessed the famous gladiatoriftl combats. In those mighty dayij
heroism, when the great pan-HclIcnic festivals were held, every fo«
year in Olympia, instituted by Iphitus, King of Elis, the ninth century
B.C., when Athletic revets and Icarian games were a« prevalent as cigaf
smoking in this generation, people were more prone to countenance
the possible existence and mar\'eUou5 exploits of the gods and goddcs&et.
I CUKIO
CURIOUS AXD ECCE!^TRTC ADVERTISEMENTS. 301
Evanescent ages have floNra by. and in ibe sentiments of millions there
Dw subsi&ts a certain amount of familiarity with the intrepid and
lliant deeds of those illustrious myibDlo;^iail gods tiercules and
tchiUes. They have been quoted aitd spoken of so often that their
ctitionsncss is forgotten. They have ingratiated their fabulous selves
Bio the good graces of mankind, and become entwined around Lheir
Pmds like the ivy around the gnarled and knotted onk ; and, aJtbough
aituries have passed away, this nurtured concatenation of deep-
iOoted imaginations have not proven altogether futile, for these Icgen-
Rid dauntless heroes actually do exist in the persons of
GONZA and VOLTA^
The Cyclopean Atldctes of llie Age.
lorites, ascetics, persons of secluded and fastidious natures,
and misanlhropists, all will be metamorpho&ed into congenial
luits, and be reconciled to the world and its pleoitures after witness*
ig these gigantillos and wonders of creation in the most surprising
bd surpassingly elegant gymnastic exliibition hitherto placed before
Ek appreciative nation, the production of which due notice wUl be
iven. Meanwhile all commtuiicalioQs are to be addressed to M. de
lOXZA, .
Turning from such extremely professional exponents of
rt and literature, we are reminded of one who stands in
iftitc an opposite position to that of the Cyclopean athletes,
►r Vellfere, the champion and foremost representative of the
acacted and unread," of the theorists who would regen-
rale the drama with theit own works, and, if they could
uly once be performed, would mark an epoch in the his-
iry of the stage. Doubtless they would. About five years
IP the enthusiastic Doctor — who, being a foreigner, has a
rrfeci right to regenerate the British drama, as well as the
ritish Constitution^burst forth in the Timesy and at once
laced himself at the head of that glorious minority which,
iring to the iniquitous "ring" formed by a clique of
bthoTS, managers, and critics, cannot get its plays, mar-
fcUously good as they are, produced; and thus not only
[ley, but the great British public are sufferers under a
^icm which Vellfere & Co. will yet expose or perish in
lie attempt. The first ad\ertisement of the regenerator
bpeared on October a. 1869. It ran thus : —
3Pa
HISTORY OF ADVERTISiNC,
TO ihe MATRON'S of the LEOmMATE DRAMA and lol
PLAY-GOING PUBLIC in GENERAL.
Indies and Gentlemen, — As a general outcry arose «ome cor
able lime ago that there was a great dearth of good, original
dramas, and as ihe recent so'called original productions of Ki
dranialisls have failed to stifle it — becnuse they have either
English society or have been simiily adaptations from the Fi
respecting a slate of society which cannot exist here, and in both
have proved unpalatable to the English, and, therefore, unsuccessfa
I, who am a writer in more than one language, resolved to prodt
a drama on purely English topics, and 1 was guided by the dictum^
your immortal poet, Ryron, Uiat "Truth is stranger than fictit
1>ecause all fictitious Kiluations prove less '* sensational " (pardon
the vcmncular), as produced by those dramatists, with all the poi
accessories and machinery of the stage, than the simplest police
from the daily papers. It took me more than a year of my
holidays towiitc the drama '*Stcrti Realities, "and inaboul five m<
I wrote the play " Trust.'* Now, I have been trying for the
cigiiteen months to have one of these pieces accepted, but all myj
endeavours have l>een in vain. The excuse was that I am not
<a circumstance which, by-lhc-by, happened once to Shakespeare
and that it is far preferable to produce the works of authors
known to the public, cvcu if their in ore recent efforts have pi
a failure in more than one respect. H is now for the public of
great country to decide whether this arrangement between Mana^r
Theatres and a certain small clique of au;hors is a monopoly that
go on for ever ; or whether it is only a false and preconceived nc
ou the part of the former regarding the want of good taste for
productions on the part of the public. Though I am a foreij
consider myself as one of the public who has endeavoured to amuMJ
fellow- citizens, but to wbom no opportunity has hitherto beenafibi
However, as the author of a collection of songs, of which sotnei
written in English, French, and Gennan, or English and Genna
simply in English poetry, and which volume is entitled " Honi soitt
mal y pense," and was collectively dedicated (o the Queen, and ac<
by her Majesty, containing dedications also, by special commissi*
ladies of the highest titles, and to others equally exalted in attaii
I beg you to believe me, when I assure you, on the word of i
man, auLlior, and schoolmaster, that the two pieces I have written
meet with your approbation. I ajipcal now to you, ladies and
men, to assist me tn bringing out one of the two pieces ; and, ini
humble opinion, the most effectual way, perhaps, in which this c<
be done, would be in addressing rae a note, kindly informing me
CL'/c/ors A.\j) i:cc/:,\"J7:jc .!/)r/\/V7/.^.A.w-:.\'/:s. ;,.-;,
of the two pieces, "Stern Kcalhics " cr "'J'ru^t," should in your
opinion be performed first, and that you promise you will come to see
niher or both. Receiving thus from you a great quantity of letters, I
Asll, armed with such a phalanx of patronage, present myself as the
hearer of the popular will to the Mans^er of one of the London
'Theatres, and — we shall see I A letter simply addressed thus, "Dr.
Vdlire, Harrow," will safely reach me. Trusting to hear from you at'
Itmr earliest convenience, I remain, ladies and gentlemen, very faith-
E. R. W. VELLERE.
The English and Continental College,
Harrow, October 1st, 1869.
Before the attention directed to this novelty in literature
'tad died away, another similar effusion appeared, and for
about a twelvemonth the Tim^s contained every three or
.Amr weeks a message of direful import from Dr Vellfere
QQ dramatic monopoly and its probable ultimate effect
on dramatic literature and the stage generally, varied by
leqnests similar to those given here. Iniquity was still
triuniphant, however, and the patrons of the legitimate
toast have been unwilling to interfere, for at the end of the
year Dr Vellfcre was yet unacted. He is still busy writing
plays, for he believes that success must come in the end ;
and if his literary ability be in any way proportioned to his
pertinacity, the chief of the Elizabethan roll of dramatists
bas at last met a worthy rival. Happily there is a way out
of the difficulty with which Dr Vell^re and his friends are
encompassed. Let them take a theatre, engage actors,
and play each other's dramas in turn. If they can only
agree as to the order of production, and the relative merits
of the pieces, they are sure to succeed j for if our experience
goes for anything, the unacted and unread are sufficiently
numerous to support any house of moderate pretensions.
But they mustn't all want to be put on the free list That
great distinction must be left for Dr Vellbre and a chosen
few — composed, say, of friendly critics, and managers dis-
traught with the knowledge that priceless gems have been
discarded, and that the new era has at last arrived.
CHAPTER XII.
SWINDLES AND HOAXES,
IT is of course only natural that as soon as advertist
became general, that portion of the community whi^
regards the other portion as its oyster, was not slow to
cover the advantages which were soon to accrue in
way of increased facilities for publishing new dodges, or'
giving extended scope to those whicli were old, but bad:
far attained only limited circulation. This has been soc<
clusively shown by specimens already given, and rcferenc
made, that there is no necessity to discuss the quest
anew, and therefore we will at once plunge into the thicltl
those advertisements which have special qualifications
treatment different from that given to the milder classes]
rogues and scoundrels. The first transaction which
for attention is in connection with Queen Anne*s fa
No popular delusion has perhaps made more dupes
that relating to these coins. Innumerable people
that there never were but three farthings of this desci
two of which have found their way in due course
British Museum, the third only being still abroad ;
also believed that the Museum authorities would give
large sum for the possession of the missing token.
there are no less than six distinct varieties of Anne's
known to exist, and specimens of them are not at al
Some of them may be procured at the coin-dealers, for
or twelve shillings ; but there is one variety, struck in 17J
which is extremely rare, and would bring from £^ to £i
SWINDLES AND HOAXES,
305
also a small brass medal or counter of Queen Anne,
e size of a farthing, of which there are humlreils.
once procured one of these, and placed it in
ow, ticketed as ** the real farthing of Queen Anne."
us persons came from far and near 10 view this
I curiosity, and the owner turned his deception to
account.
netime about the first quarter of this century, a man
land received twelve months' imprisonment for secret-
Queen Anne's farthing. He was shopman to a con*
Err in Dublin, and having taken the farthing over the
, he substituted a common one for it. Unfortunately
I, he told his master how he had obtained it, and
it to him for sale. The master demanded tl)e Irca-
ihis property, the shopman refused to give it up, was
t into the Recorder's Court, and there received tlie
(entence. When rogues fall out, honest men know
tcy have lost. It is wrong to assume that because
quanel, their natural enemies **gct their own." At
Its, experience has never taught us so, and the proverb,
trally read, is wrong.
toerous are the instances of people having travelled
jistant counties to London, in order to dispose in the
orkct of the supposed valuable farthing. The cu.s-
of the medals in the British Museum used to be be-
by applicants from all parts of the country, offering
Anne's farthings and imitations of them for sale,
course the dealers in coin even now receive a liberal
f the same annoyance. Whence the treacherous fable
|ly sprung has never been satisfactorily explained,
atain that Anne's farthings never were very common,
of one variety, coined in 1714, not less than from
500 must have been put in circulation. But the
Were mere patterns, and were never struck for enr-
oll of them were coins of great beauty, and for this
r as well as on account of their being tlie only copper
3d6 fflSTOR Y OF AD VER TTSIXG,
coins struck in the reign of Queen Anne, it is probable
they were soon hoarded and preserved as curiosities, there-j
by acquiring an imaginary value, which grew rapidly
soon as some sharp fellow saw how useful the figment might
be made. But the immediate cause of ihe popular fa)
concerning the scarcity and great value may be found ill'
the fact, that at the end of the last century a lady of Yorfcj
shire having lost one of these coins, offered a large rewj
for it. Probably it was valuable to her as a souvenir of soro<
departed friend j but the advertisement, and the comparati>
scarcity of these farthings, gradually led to the report tl
there was only one such token in circulation, and thj
the unique coin was of course of almost priceless vah
Long before this, however, advertisements in reference
Anne's farthings had found their way into the papers,
far as we can tliscover, the first of these appeared in
General Advfrtha- of April 19, 1745, and ran as follows
■\T17HEREAS ahout seven years ago an Advertisement vnu publja
* * in some of the Daily Papers offering a Reward for a Qih
Anne'a Farthing struct in the year 1714.
This is to in/ifrm tht CURIODS
That a Farthing of Oueen Anne of that year of a very beautiful dj
maybe seen at the Bnrof the I'cnsylvania Coffeehouse in Birchin 1
The impression is no ways dcfiiced but as entire as from the Mint.
This, probably, just at the time when a furor was in
ence with regard to the farthings, must have given a
to the business at the Pennsylvania Cofifee-house; and
have done a great deal to spread the belief that a Qi
Anne's coin was much more desirable than the wonderful
lamp of Eastern storj*, or the more modem but quite
powerful four-leaved shamrock. That in 1802 the fictic
was still lively is shown by an advertisement which appear
in the February of that year. This was disguised so as
appear like an ordina^ry paragraph : —
The Queen Anne's farthing, advertised to be disposed of in
SWINDLES AND JiOAXES,
Mall, proves to be an original. There were only two coined in that
Queen's rciyn, and not thre< as has l>cen erroneously stated. That
which was sold by the sergeant from Chatham fur ^400, was purchased
by a noble viscount, curious in his selection of coins, &c. Seven
Hundred guineas was the price asked for the one advertised lost week.
Five hundred was offered for it and refused. The owner lives at Lynn,
in Norfolk. The ofTer was made by tiie son of a baronet, who wants
to complete his collection.
Attention and credulity were 30 excited by the above para-
graph, and many others of the same tendency, that no one
thought of doubting that a Queen Anne's fanhing was worth
more than a Jew's eye ; nor was it till some time after that
the whole was discovered to be a fabrication, intended
cither to impose upon the crcdtility of the public, or, what
is more likely, to enhance the value of sucli a coin to the
holder, who was quietly waiting to realise. Whether he did
so or not does not appear, but it is more than likely that
he did not allow his opportunity to slip, but hooked one of
those unconsciously greedy people who are always falling
victitTis to their own selfishness as much as to the sharpers,
and who, as soon as they are deluded, look for sympathy
and redress to those very laws they were prepared to out-
rage when anything was apparently to be got by so doing.
The belief that Queen Anne's farthings are very valuable
still obuins among the vulgar, notwithstanding the many
times its absurdity has been exposed; and there is no par-
ticular reason for imagining that it will become at all ex-
ploded until some fresher but quite as illogical a fiction is
ready to supply its place.
One of the most notorious swindlers of the early part of
the present century was Joseph Ady, who used to profess
that he knew "something to your advantage." As he did
not deal in advertisements, perhaps he has no right here ;
but as about 1830 he was constantly being referred to in
newspaper paragraphs, and was a feature of the time among
sharpers, he is entitled to passing notice, if only as a news-
paper celebrity. At the period we mention, "Ady was a
Asyl
mSrORY OF AVVEKTISING.
decent-looking elderly man, a Quaker, with the external ^^
spectability attached to the condition of a housekeeper, and
to all appearance considered himself as pursuing a perfectly
legitimate course of life. His mHifr consisted in this. He
was accustomed to examine, so far as the means were
afforded him, lists of unclaimed dividends, estates or be-i
quests waiting for the proper ownerSi and unclaimed pro-
perty generally. Noting tlie names, he sent letters loj
individuals beanng the same appellatives, stating that, on
their remitting to him his fee of a guinea, they would be
informed of ' something to their advantage/ When any
one complied, he duly sent a second letter, acquainting hi
that in such a list was a sum or an estate due to a per
of his name, and on which he might have claims worth)
of being investigated. It was undeniable that the infoi
tion misht prove to the advantage of Ady's corrcspondenLl
Between Ibis might be and the unconditional promise
something to the advantage of the correspondent, lay thf
debatable ground on which it might be argued that Adj
was practising a dishonest business. It was rather t(
narrow a margin for legal purposes ; and so Joseph went
from year to year reaping tlie guineas of the unwary-
dom three months out of a police court and its rep(
till his name became a byword ; and still, out of the
tudes whom he addressed, finding a sufficient number
persons ignorant of his craft, and ready to be inip<
upon — and these, still more strange to say, often beloni
to the well-educated part of society."* In all the
cases we have come across, in which Ady was concei
he seems to have considerably "sat upon" the magisi
the "great unpaid'* of the City being quite unable to
their own with him. notwithstanding the disadvantage
which Joseph was placed.
The claims for precedence of the two most imi
• Book of Days.
SWINDLES AND HOAXES,
309
ling swindles of the present day are so eqaally
that it is hard to say which has caused the greater
of ruin among credulous persons who have invested
[t few coins in the hope of the certain success, or which
irned most profit to the exchequers of its wily pro-
\. The two claimants are the Turf-Circular and the
Employment swindles, both of which have been
I full play. We will give the "home-employment"
tment preference of treatment, as it appeals to wider
hies, the victims being mostly credulous only, and
fishly and idiotically greedy for other folk's goods ;
ling, as well, mostly poor hard-working women, and
few children. One of the most notorious of these
lers flourished half-a-dozen years ago. He used to
ft small notice in the daily papers, informing those
;d leisure that he could find ample remunerative em-
XX for them," and directing applications to be made
RT at a given address, enclosing a stamped addressed
>e. Then the swindle commenced, the reply being
ws: —
Grove House, Tottenham Road.
IsuNGTON, London, N.
ly to y;7ur appiitati^n as fer my Notice (Leisure Time, &*c,,
Wy respGilfulty inform you tAat it has ntnv litceme impossible to
}my Adveriisemfiit on employing leisure time fully in the AVrcj-
VfAich the little abridged fiotiie appecired^ o^t/ing to the enormous
tmandeii for iHserting iff namely £1 ids. for each time it appenri.
61 eottsequence I am eoptpelled, reluctantly, to trouble my ccfrre*
tofonvard tkdr mvtlopefor the purpose ef an extended explana-
th I think cannot be clearer doiu than my fcnvarding in pnnt^
\ a copy of the intefided attnouncemeiit^ whieh afier reading, anti
fing on sending for the paekd^ please deduct from the number
tA^ three Penny Postage Stamps you will necessarily have used,
enclose {Jifteen) tahich triflmg outlay I think yeu^ like others^
' MO eauie ta regret, yeurs faiihfuHy^
EVERETT MAY,
THE UNDER WILL BEST KXPLAIN :—
3»o
Leisure Time.
mSTOKY Of ADVER72SfXG, ,
—Four Guineas per WtEK.— How to Rcauss
THIS AT YOUR UWN HoMES,
MR EVERETT MAV, of Kiugsland, begs to apprise the Public
ihftt he is sending off as rapidly as possible by every post hii
far-fanied Packet, the contents of which will show the many plans of
getting money most honourably by cither sex employing leisure boun
at their own homes. £^Z Xa£A weekly may be most certainly rcaUitd
by all industrious persons, without five shillings outlay or any mk, by
following the easy, respectable and clear instructions. Sent by Mr
Everett May, of Grove House, Tottenham-grove, KingsUnd, LcnfT^n.
N. This is no visionary theory. The Present Season highly -^,
Enclose eighteen penny stamps, and you will receive post frT>r
Inally per return THIS PROVED BOON TO THE INDUS-
TRIOUS OF BOTH SEXES.
But to remove any doubt that sceptical persons may entertain as lo
the truth of Ihc abov^\ I here insert the under six letter* received, wiih
hundreds of others. The parties are very respectable and each well-
known in the towns they reside.
Calverton, near Nottingham.
Dear Sir, — I beg to inform you that your packet came quite safe, and
I was surprised and highly pleased with its contents. LJkc others who
doubled the truth, I was ready lo conclude it was only to catch th«e
foolish enough to try it. But 1 have now proved otherwise, and caa
testify that you are no other tlian a true and faithful man. The coo-
tents of your indeed famed packet are well worth twenty times as mttchi
and whoever the party may be receiving it will have no cause to repeal.
Yours very truly, Setk Bikcu.
Another — Bpettisbury, Blanford, DorseL
Dear Sir, — I beg lo inform you that the Packet ordered arrived
safely, and allow me lo tender you my sincere thanks for it. Vonf
plans for getting money so honourably are indeed excellent. Anyone
having a doubt may most certainly remove such doubt. Hoping jwi
may lonf; continue in your good work is the earnest \mh of your obe*
dient servant, ^V. OAKun".
Then follow ihe remaining four letters, which hav« sn
astonishing family likeness to the two chosen, and as these
six were only inserted to show what the careful May woulfi
have tione had he been able to launch into lavish expendi-
ture in the interests of his clients, he gives a statement after
tlie last epistle : —
SWINDLES AND HOAXES.
3"
Suih is th£ txact c^py of the advertistmetit I inUndtd to have placed
he/ore the publu by inserting in the Newspupo's had the charge not 6^m
so h/gA, but as I now do so by this circular I can ad*i a few more of my
cat respondents* a pptwal letters^ in furtherance of a still more convincing
\f9oof of the vahu of this esteemed Money Jtfahng Packet.
^KA.fter this he gives a string of letters, which must have
^Ibianded great ingenuity on the part of their writer, if only
^ on account of the number of signatures he must have in-
j vented. Occasionally he breaks down, liowever, and has
to fiill back on initials. AVe should like to reproduce a lot
of these expressions of gratitude as fomis to be used at any
time when thanks are required for any great benefit, but
space will not allow of it, and we must be content with two,
which are redolent of truly Christian thankfulness : —
Short Heath Road, Erdington, near Birmingham, December I3tb, 1867.
Mr. May, Dear Sir, — I have received your Packet, and am at a loss
{tow. adequately, to expre» to you vliat I think about it— suffice it to
say that I consider your Packet to be an inestimable boon tu ihc unem-
ployed of every class. Tliousands will, doubtless, make money by it.
It professes only to be a guide to the employment of leisure hours, but
in reality it is a guide to the employment of a whole life, and an easy
path to opulence. " Whoever receives it will have no cause to regret."
*' It is worth twcnly times as much." ** Anyone Iiaving a doubt may
most certainly remove such doubt," I heartily re-echo these testimo-
nials, and recommend your Packet to every unemployed person, this is
no more than I am in equity bound to do. I am, Dear Sir, faithfully
yours, Thomas Jonso.v, Jitn,
■^K I, Vincent Terrace, Frome. October 5th, 1867.
^Hpear Sir,— I luve carefully examined the contents of your excellent
I^Rcket, and am astonished and delighted with tbem. lie or she would
indeed be difficult to please who could not select from so extensive
ft stock some profitable employment congenial to their taste. 1'he
instructions are explicit, and the minute details in each cose fully and
clearly explained. A person of moderate industry and perseverance,
furnished with yotir Packet may attain, if not a furlune, at least a very
comfortable living. It ought to be widely known, and I for my part
•hall not fail to recommend it. I admit I answered youradvcrliiemciit
merely from a curious desire to know what was the latest dodge (pardon
the word) for hoaxing the public, and I am miw heartily glad I did
answer it, though a^<«hamcd of the motive that induced me to do so. I
am, I>car Sir, faithfully yours Joseph Johssox, Schoolmaster.
^
31a mSTORY OF ADVERTISING,
The poor guUs, after reading these effusions, which
play on the same strings of wonder, salisfaciion, ajid grati*
lude, are of course anxious to participate in the benefit
of lucrative emplo>Tnent, and off go the stamps. If th(
mischief ended there, the matter would not be so bad; bul
tliese a<lvertising scoundrels have various courses open U
them! If they judge that nothing more is to be obtain*
from the sender, they calmly pocket the stamps and take
no further notice. In the event of continued "annoyance,"
or threats of exposure, they will send forth a circular which
states that a packet was posted, and must have been lost or
stolen in transit. This circular speaks of the post-office,
and other institutions, in the most disparaging manner, and
of the transactions of its writers as not only just, but infalli-
ble. One of them winds up thus : —
Another matter / -wish to inform you upon, nattuly^ on ai'or frn'oUs
r/gardisiff the punctual and prompt eomievijnce o/Ptukels fy /Ar Past
Office. This is ai times impossihte. If the letter mails are heazy, PacJtds
are sometimes left until the ftflUnuing day. So that I cannot guamntir ii
wiil be delivered at your residence by return^ but you may fully espa't U
fy the second if not by the first mail^ postage free, well packed, and secure
from ohseii'ation. These remarks may appear triflings but they are
really neeessar)', and while on the suli/cct I will name a not her ^ alsfof
importance^ it is this — several of my correspondents when applying for
these particulars send only their natm and address on a stamped envelope
and when ordering the Packet enclose their name and omit the addt^ss^
and this not beitij; retained by me renders it impossible to forward ii, Sa
thai a distinct name and address it, in the second instance, ahsolutdy
fucessary. It is required for no ether obfect than to cnaHe me to promptly
fonviird the order^ which I can do to any address in the Unked Kin^om^
The correspondent who dates from a good address, or
whose letter looks promising, is likely to be despoiled still
more. The stamps are acknowledged, and at the same
time information is tendered that a special order for the
peculiar fancy goods upon which the income is to be made
has just come in ; and that if the intending employee will
send a fee, say five shillings, for registration, and a deposit,
say five pounds, for security, she will receive a pa
Siy/yDLES AND I/OAXES,
'containing the work — which is very easy — and ample in-
sOructions. A little delay enables these wandering tribes
,to change both names and addresses, and to appear in
greater force than ever in the advertisement columns. No
wonder the writers we have quoted show such gratitude for
the receipt of promised parcels 1 But we did know two
real people who got what they bargained for. One, who
only paid the cightecnpence, obtained, after a good long
time, and the expenditure of many threats, some scraps of
brown paper, which were said to be patterns for pen-wipers,
" the manufacture of which would be found to yield a
lucrative profit, if a market could be found for them.**
There is much virtue in an if in this case. The paper
went on to say that there were many shopkeepers who
would be glad to sell them on conimissicm, " the article
being extremely rare." It is noticeable tliat the circular
received on this occasion was printed, with blanks left for
description of the patterns and the name of the work for
which they were to be used. A man of imaginative mind
might in the course of the day have run through a con-
siderable list of trades ; and as the reference to the demand
for the article and the sales by commission would be the
same in all the notices, the demand upon truth was evi-
dently not particularly excessive. The other successful
applicant was a lady who began by wTiting out of mere
curiosity, and who gradually got on until she had parted with
not much less than ten pounds. A sharp letter from a
solicitor brought no answer to him, but succeeded in send-
ing the long-expected parcel to his client. It was heavy,
and accompanied by a short letter, which said : —
Birmingham, October?, 1869.
Madam,
*\Yc beg to infomti you that some little delay has been
caused by the failure of a company to whom we entrusted the mami*
facture of a large quantity of articles. We have now however great
pleasure in forwaniing you a sample of an enamelled leather child's
button boot, with la&ts and leather for you lo follow model. As soon
3»4
IJISrORY OF ADVEKTISrXC,
u we receive from yoa specimen equal to pattern we shall be glad
afford you conat&nt cinploymeiit.
Vouts obediently,
VENTNOR AND MORRIS.
The parcel contained some old odd lasts, a really wel
made little boot, and some queer bits of leather, which tl
cleverest, man in the world could have done nothing with]
a shoemaker's knife, an awl, and a lump of cobbler's wax!
This expedient enabled the swindlers to tide over the time
till a new name and a fresh address were decided on. It
is worthy of note — and we shall refer to it a little further
or. — that the statement of one of these scoundrels would
lead to the impression that extra prices are charged for
these swindling advertisements. If larger prices arc charged
10 men because their advertisements are fraudulent, no
amount of false logic or forensic oratory can dispose of
the fact that the proprietors of the papers are accessories
in any robbery or swindle that is committed ; and the
insertion of such advertisements, knowing them to be traps
for the unwary^ at a price which denotes the guilty know-
ledge of the proprietors, is as gross a breach of the trust
reposed in them by the public as was ever committed by
smug, well-fed, Sabbath-observing sinners. There is, un-
fortunately, but too much reason to believe that extra prices
are ch.irged for these fool-traps, and that in the most pious
and pretentious papers. At the time of the baby-farnnng
disclosures which led to the execution of Margaret AVaters,
one paper openly accused another — a daily of large circu-
lation— with chargingVhree or four hundred per cent, over
the ordinary tarifif pricXfor the short applications for nurse
children which were thJtfi usual Perhaps the accusation
was not worth disproval-V-ai all events it remains uncon-
tradicted till this day, IThese murderous advertisements
presented no particularly Idestructive features, they simply
said in each case that \ tmrsc child was wanted at a
certain address : and sometinies
SIVTNDLES AXD HOAXES.
3»5
ike a baby altogether for a lump sum.
»t taken from a leading daily paper : —
This is one of a
\DOPTION.— Child WoHtcd to NURSE, or can be LEFT AL-
*- TOGETHER. Terms motleralc. Can be taken from birth.
r
>iueiimes the terras were mentioned, and, as a rule, the
im named showed that even the tender mercies experi-
iced by Oliver Twist and his friend Dick at the farming
itablishmcnt inhabited by them could hardly have been
cpected by the most confiding of parents. Thus :—
\ RESPECTABLE Woman wishes to adopt a CHILD. Pre-
J^ mium £6. Will be uken altogether and no further trouble
Ktoiy. Apply .
^k some of these establishments may be still in existence,
ff"cfrain from republishing the addresses. These speci-
icns, as advertisements, simply call for no comment at our
irds, and so we will get on with the more pronounced,
lough less guilty, swindlers. Here is a specimen which
Qubttess gave the postman some extra work : —
^ENTLEMEX having a respectable circle of acquaintance may
J hear of means of INCREASING their INCOME without the
ightest pecuniary risk, or of having (by any chance) their feelings
Rded. Apply for parltculan by letter, staling their position &c
y R- 37i W Street C Square.
To such an advertisement as this — one of exactly the
ime kidney — wliich appeared in UoycTs^ under the head of
How to make Two pounds per Week by the outlay of
'en Shillings," and asking for tliirty stamps in return for
le information, the following belongs. It is sent in reply
% the letter enclosing ilie fee, and is too good a specimen
f the humour possessed by these rogues to be passed
Iter:—
'* First purchase i cwt, of large-sized potatoes which may
t obuined for the sum of ^s., then purchase a large basket,
3»6
HISTORY OF ADVEKTfSTNG.
which will cost say anotlier 4s., then buy as, worth of flanm
blanketting and this will comprise your stock in trade,
which the total cost is los. A large-sized potato weigt
about half-a-pound, consequently there are 224 potatoe
in a cwt. Take half the above quantity of potatoes each'
evening to a baker's and have them baked; when properly
cooked put them in your basket, well wrapped up in th(
flannel to keep them hot, and sally forth and offer them fofJ
sale at one penny each. Numbers will be glad to purchase
them at that price, and you will for certain be able to sell
half a cwt. every evening. From the calculation made below
you will see by that means you will be able to earn ^2 p<
week. The best plan is to frequent the most crowd*
ihorough fares, and make good use of your lungs, thus lettii
people know what you have for sale. You could also
in at each public-house on your way and solicit the patroi
age of the cvistomers, many of whom would be certain
buy of you. Should you have too much pride to transac
the business yourself (though no one need be ashamed
pursuing an honest caUing), you could hire a boy for a fe
shillings a week who could do the work for you, and y(
could still make a handsome profit weekly. The followii
calculation proves that J^2 per week can be made by sellinj
baked potatoes : —
** I cwt. containing 224 potatoes sold in ^yto evenings at
id, each,
Deduct cost,
Six evenings' Svile,
Pay baker at the rate of Sd. per evening
for baking potatoes,
Nett profit per week,
0
iS
4
%
0
£0
M
8
5
2
0
4
4
1
£^
0
J
SWINDLES AND HOAXES.
3"7
iy and most curious are the answers received from
D time by persons with sufficient faith to make appli-
to these advertisers, the foregoing being by no means
:. One reply received in return for half-a-crown's
of stamps, which were to have purchased much wisdom
way of money-saving, was this : " Never pay a boy to
fter your shadow while you ciimb a tree to see into
iddle of next week." A man who would send his
' to such evident scamps, could hardly see into the
! of anything, no matter where he chose his vantage-
i. Fortunately for the interests of the community at
these tricksters now and again are made to feel that
s justice in the land. Twenty years ago, a City magis-
[id good service by exposing a man who lived abroad
endour at the expense of the poor governesses he
;ed to victimise through the advertising columns of
ma. This rascal used, by means of the most specious
ies, to drag young girls to a foreign land, and there
them to become a prey to other villains, or to make
way back accordingly as circumstances permitted.
Bt the present lime there are streams of foreign girls
•d to London under all sorts of pretexts for the vilest
ies, the least said as to the criminality of one single
iual among the shoals of scoundrels who live by
of advertisements the better. Since Mr Fynn was
ked many other hawks have been captured, and only
ly two have found their way into the obscurity of penal
tde under circumstances worthy of mention. Fiace
wi€s: we will give precedence to Mistress Margaret
J^ellair, though her retirement was subsequent to that
pther claimant on our attention. The difference of
s, however, extremely small. Mrs Dellair lived at
on, and for a long lime lived in peace and plenty
: post-office orders, or rather the cash received in
ige for them, obtained by means of the following
isement : —
3^5
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
HOME EMPLOY^^E^*T.— Ladies in ton-n or country wUhinjr for
Remuneraiive EMPLOYMENT in Laces, Church Needlework.
&C., sliouIJ. apply at once to M. D., Fern House, West Croydon, en-
closing a directed envelope. Rcfcreucc to ladies employed by p«^
This must have been a fruitful source of income
M. D., who seems to have considered that people w<
calmly content to part with their money, as she made
attempt to put off the day of reckoning which was bound
arrive. So in due course Mrs Dellair found herself charg<
with fraud before the Croydon bench, and ultimately si
appeared at the bar of the Central Criminal Court in Apr
of the present year. Her mode of procedure, described
during the trial, was this. Applicants in due time, after
sending in tlieir stamped and addressed envelopes, received
circulars, staling that ihe work which the sender was able to
furnish comprised braiding, point lace, tatting, church needle-
work, and Berlin wool. The needlework was to be done
at the ladies' homes, and they were never to earn less than
eightpence or a shilling per hour. To secure employment
the applicants were informed that the payment of one
guinea '*for registration fee, materials, and instruction,"
was required, half of which sum was to be returned when
the employment was resigned. Post-office orders were to
be made payable at the office, Windmill Street, Croydon, to
Margaret Dellair. " There is," says a writer at the time
commenting on this case, ** something quite admirable in
this calm repudiation of the anonymous, in this wearin" of
the heart upon the sleeve, on the part of Mistress Dellair.
The bait she threw out was swallowed with avidity by many
young ladies — some with more money than wit, others
painfully anxious to secure bread-winning employment;
others less solicitous about procuring work for themselves
than inquisitive to discover, for the benefit of society in
general and their friends in particular, whether the transac-
tion was bonhfide. Then the curtain rose on the second
SlVIXDlESAyD HOAXES,
of tlie drama. Some ladies sent post-office orders to
ndmill Road ; others took the train to Croydon, and had
sonal interviews with the benevolent recluse of Fern
luse— a little cottage near a wood — who did not fail to
resent that she was extensively employed by some emi-
it firms of church furnishers in the metropolis." One
ing lady having sent her guinea, received, after a lapse
some weeks, and after repeated communications on her
't, ten loilet-raats, with the materials for braiding them.
ere was not enough braiding, j^nd so she wrote for more,
C received no reply. Then she finished the mats with
tcrials purchased by herself, and despatched the articles
Croydon ; but neither reply nor payment was forthcom-
;. After many more weeks Mrs Dellair wrote to say that
; was in ill-health. Seeing, however, that the advertise-
nt was continued in the papers, the defrauded young
,y wrote to Fern Cottage, demn.nding the return of ten
llings, being one-half of the sum she had disbursed for
cgistration fee, materials, and instruction." No answer
s returned, of course; and the victim not only lost her
mcy, but her time and her labour, to say nothing of post-
;, worry of mind, and other incidental expenses. One
the principal witnesses against Dellair was the Croydon
5tmaster, who stated that he had known her a year and
lalf. She had been in the habit of bringing post-office
Jcrs to his office to cash. She had brought between
•ee and four hundred orders since July 1872, principally
' guineas, but there were some for half-crowns and some
^ half-guineas. They were brought principally by her
ughter, but sometimes by a servant On the 30th of
:tober 1873 a post-office order (produced) was brought
him, and the payee's signature was that of the prisoner.
5 paid the money to the person who brought it The hovise
which the prisoner lived was a small private house, called
rn Cottage, and there was no show of business kept
cross-examination by prisoner's counsel, the
320
IIJiiTORY OF ABVERTJSJNC,
postmaster stated that the fact of so many orders b<
cashed by Mrs Dellair excited his suspicion. He, howe
knew that she was getting her living by sending parcels
needlework by post, and since he had ascertained that
he did not think it so extraordinary. Mrs Dellair was ia
the habit of purchasing postage stamps in large quanti-
ties of him. She sometimes purchased ten shillings'
worth, and once or twice had bought them to a larger
extent At the trial the entire seat in front of the jur>'-box
was filled by young women who attended to prosecute, some
of whom had been prudent enough to ask for references,
but imprudent enough to part with their guineas, although
Ihe testimonials received were not quite satisfactory. Some
applicants had intcr\'iews with Dellair at Croydon, and then
she gave the names of one or two eminent firms as hei
employers, but at the trial representatives of these firms
swore that she was totally unknown to them. One of the
most peculiar points in this trial was the line taken by
the counsel for the defence, who argued that although
the victims of his client might be deserving of sympathy,
they had parted with iheir guineas in a foolish and care-
less manner, and the real question was whether the accused
was guilty of a fraudulent pretence or not. The advocate
raised the curious point in favour of his client, that although'
she had avowedly four hundreil transactions with diffcrt'nt
persons, it was extraordinary that she had not been uis-
covcred and prosecuted before ; but he forgot how much
more extraor<linary it was that for her defence tlie prisoner
was unable to bring forward out of her four hundred clientfi
a single witness who could swear to receiving remunerative'
employment from her. The defence was original, and
ginality in defence has a good deal to do with success wh
a case is being tried by a common jury ; but it did not s
ceed, and Mrs Margaret Annie Dellair was found guil
The woman was an impudent and abandoned swindler,
' been systematically preying for years upon a class
SWINDLES AND HOAXES,
321
can, of all classes, the least afford to be cheated — decently-
educated young women of small means, who fill respectable
positions, and whose consequent need of employment which
will enable them to earn a little something above their
ordinary salaries is always pressing and frequently impera-
tive. Before sentence M'as passed an inspector from Scot-
land Yard stated that the prisoner and her husband had
formerly lived at Finchley under another name; that they
had afterwards kept a shop in Bloomsbury under the title
of " Fuller & Co.," where they advertised to give "remu-
nerative employment" both to young ladies and young
gentlemen; that in May 1S72 the husband was sentenced
at the ^[idcilesex Sessions to five years' imprisonment for
fraud ; that on his conviction the woman removed to
Fem Cottage ; and that after her arrest, and its consequent
publication in the papers, upwards of eighty letters had
been received by the police coniplaining of her dealings.
All that Margaret Annie Dellair could do when she was
called up for sentence was to plead that she had been left
in an all but penniless condition with seven young children ;
that she had tried in vain to obtain an honest livelihood
by keeping a stall in a bazaar j and that her crime was
caused by a desire to avert starvation from her innocent off-
Bpring. A good deal of sympathy was of course expressed
fcy the public — especially by those who have nothing to
bse — not for the victims, but for the viclimiser. The in-
terest taken in criminals nowadays, when they have the
slightest claims to be out of the common order, would be
regarded as quite overdrawn if described in a novel.
The other delinquent was not so interesting, and being
:>nly a man, did not find any hearts to bleed for him even
tmong those who had not been deceived. His practices
ere provincial, his advertisement, of which the following
a copy, being inserted in the Warwickshire and I^ndon
apcrs : —
3"
J/JSTORY OF ADVERTISIKG,
HOME EMPLOYMENT.— Ladies (several) wanted lo COPY
Daanuscnpt SERMONS for supply to the clergy. ReisoD
terms. Apply by letter only lo K. XL, 39, New-buildings, Coventry.
R, H. was Robert Hemmings, who was eventually tri<
at the Wanvick Assizes of last March, and whose mc
operandi was then described. Several young ladies secil
the advertisements, and wishing for employment, wrote
the address given, in answer to which they received
"Prospectus of the Private Office for the Supply of Sermoi
and Lectures to Clergymen and Public Speakers." In this'
highly-titled and pretentious document, clergymen " who_
find the composition of sermons loo heavy a tax on th(
ingenuity, are invited to subscribe for manuscript sermoi
arranged according to the three schools of thought in
Englit 1 Church. The High Church section is subdivide
into i-ituaiistic and moderate Anglican. The subscriptic
for three sermons weekly is four guineas per annum,
able in advance. The same sermon will not be sent to
two clergymen within twenty miles of each other." It
states, that the business of the ofhce rendering neces
the employment of copyists, it has been decided to emj
ladies only, the reason being that home occupation
gentlcivomcn of limited income is such a great dcsiderat
of our limes. Then it goes on to say that " the ordii
avenues for respectable women desiring lo replenish tlli
scanty purses are so overstocked that tlie limited numi
we are able to employ will gladly welcome the opportunity
of turning a fair handwriting to a profitable account The
remuneration paid will be ad. per loo words. To avoid
the possibility of unscrupulous persons obtaining valuj
sermons on pretence of copying, a guarantee of los. will
required from each copyist before MSS. are sent, to be
turned when she may discontinue working. Applicants
employment should enclose 2s. 6d. on account of th(
deposit, which will either be returned or a nouficaiion
engagement sent. In the latter case the balance must
SWINDLES AND IIOAX£X
3*3
be remitted, in order that the first parcel may be supplied
All communications to be sent to Mr Robert Hemmings,
39, New-buildings, Coventry." One young lady resident
in London, who gave evidence, sent the half-cro^vn, and
then received a letter stating that she would be employed
on fonv^arding a post-office order to Birmingiiam for 75. 6d.
She did not do so, but many other ladies were not so wise.
The prisoner having obtained the money, ceased to com-
municate with the applicants. The jury found the prisoner
guilty, and the judge sentenced him to twelve months' im-
prisonment with hard labour,
A more fortunate rogue was one who came into notice at
the Sussex Assizes four or five years back. Justice may or
may not have overtaken him since, for these fellows have
so many and such various aliases that unless you :liappen
to sec one tried and hear him sentenced, there is no .»ay of
telling who he is or what he may have been. Ihe object of
our care at the present moment was known at Bognor in
Sussex as Henry Waikis, though as he admitted to one more
name, the suggestive one of Walker, even there, it would
be difficult to say what might be his name in London or
any other large town. He used to advertise to procure
situations in London daily and weekly papers, and some
complaints having been made to the police, he was taken
into custody on a warrant, and appeared at the Chichester
Quarter Sessions. From a newspaper report of the time
wc take some of the ftjllowing particulars of what must be
considered a decided miscarriage of justice.
Waikis Hvcd at 6 Jessamine Cottages, Bognor, and when
ihc superintendent of police from Chichester searched his
cottage, he found under the stairs 530 letters, consisting of
tcslimonials, replies to, and drafts of advt^rtisements ; and
in another part of the house he found about 150 envelopes,
apparently sent for replies, from which stamps had been
cut. When Waikis was apprehended, he acknowledged that
be was the person who had been advertising in the name of
314
IfiSTOR Y OF ADVERTISING,
" B. C, Post-office, Chichester," by which it seems thai he
had still another alias, though not in Bognor. On that
day he sent a lad to the Chichester post-office, and a large
bundle of letters, addressed as above, was brought back
from the office. In the course of a few days after Waikis's
apprehension, between seven and eight hundred letters
were receiver! at the post-office all directed in the sime
way. Evidence was given that advertisements were in-
serted in the Daily Tcl^aph and Lloyd's in consequence of
orders received in letters signed *' Hy. Watkis," and *' Hy.
Walker." About 500 letters were received at Chichester,
addressed " X. Y. Z" in accordance with one of the adver-
tisements, and a very large number were also received at
Erasworth under still a fresh set of initials. Altogether
nearly 20,000 letters are supposed to have been sent to the
two offices for the accused. It was proved that 34s. worth
of stamps, all singles, had been sold by Watkis. At the
conclusion of the address for the prosecution, the deputy
recorder ruled that there was no case to go to the jury as
far as the law was concerned. There was no proof that
Waikis had, either on his own part or on that of others,
no such situations to offer as had been advertised. The
jury were not satisfied without hearing the evidence that
the prisoner was not guilty. The deputy recorder said they
had p'aced him in a very difficult position, and he must
tell themag.iin that the indictment could not be maintained
in point of law. Therefore they would be doing a vcnr
irregular thing to go into the case. It was for them to find
a verdict in accordance with the ruling of the court on the
point of law. After some discussion the jury returned into
court, and ihc foreman, in answer to the usual question,
said, *' If we are obliged to say not guilty, we must ; but
the jury wish to express a strong opinion." By advice of
the deputy recorder, however, this opinion was not recorded,
and the prisoner was accordingly discharged.
U'c will wind up this portion of our list of swindles wi
SWI^'DLES AND HOAXES,
32s
^ advertisement of the same order, which succeeded in
Realising a good income for its promoter ; —
TADIES and EDUCATED WOMEN are rwpccifully invited to
iL-r consult Mrs. EGGLESTON*S SERIES of 60 HOME and other
K'EW EMPLOYMENTS, whith are iiccinning to attract a large share
|>f public interest for their marked superiority over very unrcmuneralive
pursuits usually engaged in, — Enclose an addressed stamped envelope
|o Mrs Egglesion, , Ramsgaie, for prospectus.
) Sixty different businesses to choose from for home em-
ployment ! Dollscye and lealher-apron weaving was doubt-
less among ihcm ; and in sorting out those occupations
most suited to her various correspondents, Mrs Eggleston
Boubtless passed a pleasant time at the seaside, even if she
pid not lay up riches against the time she returned to
London.
Turf-swindlers are next upon our listj and no one will
3oubt that these gentry are well deserving of attention, the
^ore so as, partly by themselves, and partly by means of
iie shortsightedness peculiar to the pubHc, which causes
It to form judgments on subjects it docs not understand,
belchers and thieves who advertise the most impossible
["certainties" have been in numerous instances taken to
(cpresent the respectable and honourable turfite. We
(now it is the custom now to assume that a man is bound
(0 be dishonourable if he be professionally connected with
facing in any trapacity ; and any effort made to contradict
fcfholesale and thoughtless accusations is supposed to be the
outcome of sclf-intcrcst, or the blind devotion of quixotrj'.
yitxi who are cool and calculating enough when discussing
Ordinary subjects, become almost rabid when the turf is
mentioned ; and in most articles which have been written
)n the subject of sporting advertisements, it is assumed that
Jic scheming concocters of bails for fools are fair repre-
sentatives of the bookmaking class, and all are alike
Jcnounced. Surely it would be as just to assume that the
■farmers and promoters of home employment whose
3»«
fflSTORY OF ADVERTISING.
effusions we have quoted were fair representatives of orrii-
nary commerce, as that the •' discretionary-investment"
promoter is in any way connected with the legitimate
bookmaker. We have no wish here to argue for or against
betting ; but we cannot help noticing that even in Parlia-
ment— wliich is never supposed to legislate upon what it
does not understand ! — notorious thieves have been taken
to represent the principal advertising bookmakers, and long
arguments as to the equity of the Betting-House Act framed
on the assumption. During the present year there has
been considerable discussion in the House of Commons
with reference to the Act which was passed in 1853, Scot-
land being at the time exempt from its operation,
effect of leaving the *Mand of cakes'* in the position of
who is known to be too virtuous to need protection
not visible for some years ; for though the Act of Sir Al<
ander Cockburn had the effect of clearing away
numerous betting-offices, whicli were undoubtedly at
time public nuisances and open lures to men wh<
speculative disposition was in inverse proportion to
means of gratification, the better-class agents, w^hose b*
ness was carried on through the post only, continued
flourish or decay, according to circumstances, until il
The attention of the police being then drawn to nuraci
advertisements which appeared in the London and
vincial papers on the subject of betting, a raid was m|
on a large establishment near Covent Garden : books
papers, clerks and managers, were seized and conveyi
Bow Street ; and though the employes were ultii
discharged, the proprietor was ultimately fined heai
decision of the magistrate being eventually endorsed]
iudges to whom the case was referred on appeal.
of betting men resulted, the resting-place of some^
Glasgow, and of others Edinburgh ; from both of
places they put forth their advertisements as before, safe]
the knowledge that so far, at all events^ the law was
N
\
SWINDLES AND HOAXES. 327
jcir side. The extension of the Act of 1853 was of course
only matter of time ; but the first two or three efforts failed
signally, principally on account of the blind animosity of
the promoters of the measure, which caused them to frame
bills which, for intolerance and hopeless stupidity, have
perhaps never been equalled. Another cause was a feeling
that, while one form of betting was allowed at Tattersall's
and the chief sporting clubs — a form which had shown
itself equal to ruining several peers and hundreds of young
men of less de^ee — it was impolitic to over-legislate with
regard to the half-crowns and half-sovereigns of working
men and small tradesmen, and to say to them, while yet
the terrible "pUmging" years were fresh in memory,
'* Dukes and marquises only shall ruin themselves at will,
you, the common people, must be saving as well as in-
dustrious."
At last Mr Anderson, one of the members for Glasgow,
introduced his Extension Bill (1874), and though his argu-
ments were eminently ridiculous, as he assumed that every
advertiser was a swindler, his legislative attempt was a
much greater success than any former effort had been in
the same direction, and his bill, with a few modifications,
eventually became law. As an instance of the feeling to
which this measure gave rise, we quote part of a criticism
apon it from the most able of the sporting papers which
make the turf their principal study, the Sportsmatt^ the first
journal that refused the advertisements of swindlers whose
intentions were evident, a method of self-abnegation which
might be studied to advantage by many virtuous newspapers,
which, while they weep over the iniquity of sporting adver-
tisements, are strangely oblivious as to the character or effect
of those which appear in their own columns. It must be
remembered that the "ring" and Tattersall's betting — of
which mention is made in the following— is not interfered
with by law, because nothing is staked before the decision
of the race but " honour." This, being often deeply mort-
32S HISTORY OF ADVS.RTlStXG,
gaged, is found insufticient for the demand when setllin
day arrives.
Says ilie writer in the Sportsman^ after demolishing
several of the charges made against ready-money betting i
" Take the case of those who bet in the ring, or at Tatter-
sail's, or in the clubs. What guarantee is there between
Uie contracting parties that there shall be no element of
fraudi and consequently no immorality in the transaction?
And what guarantee is there that one or other of the con-
tracting parties who is induced to bet is not a person who
cannot afford to lose ? There is an inducement to bet on
either side : on the side of the layer and on the side of the
backer, and will any one acquainted with the subject be
prepared to say that in scores of cases there is not on both
parts a total inability to pay in the event of loss? What
man is there who, having seen much of the ring, cannot
recall many instances of layers betting to such an extent
that they could never pay if the fates were against ihem,
and of backers 'having' the ring all round without a
sovereign in their pockets ? Kay, cannot even the general
public who are not initiated into such mysteries remember
numbers of men who have ruined themselves and others
under the system in which Mr Anderson * does not feel
there is any immorality,' because in it ' the element of
fraud is not introduced,' and because under it * people who
cannot afford to lose ' are not induced to bet ? The result
of his bill will be that he will drive men from one style of
betting, in whidi they lose or win, knowing the extent of
their gains or their losses, to another, under which they
may be drawn into hopeless speculation, and perhaps coi^
comitant fraud, simply because they are not called on fi
ready money. We do not propose to follow Mr Anders
through his ingenious and amusing descriptions of ih
advertisements of tipsters and ' discretionary-investment
people. He was good enough to introduce ourselves as a
striking example of the facility with which such persons
icy
I
I
SWINDLES AND HOAXES.
329
could foist their schemes on the public, and of the large
rofits which were derived by certain newspaper proprietors
fm them. He had the honesty to acknowledge that wc
lad refused to take any further announcements with respect
to ' discretionary investments,' and tiiat wc had persistently
cautioned our readers to have nothing to do with them,
, ... As for tipsters, who merely offer to give information
for a shilling's worth of stamps, what immorality can there
be in that which is not to be found in the ' selections' of
the daily newspapers ? Even the TimeSf in a roundabout
' respectable ' way, now and then indicates horses which,
in the opinion of its sporting writer, will win certain races,
and there is hardly a daily paper in town or country which
has not its regular * prophet,' who from day to day lifts up
his voice or his pen and o^ers inducements to the public
to bet Can any one of such journals say to us, ' I am
holier than thou, because I sell my prophecies for a penny,
and thou inscrtcst the advertisements of men who want a
dozen stamps for ilieirs'? But the whole policy of object-
ing to certain classes of advertisements is absurd. If the
proprietor of a newspaper were to inquire, even superficially,
into the bcm fitUs of all the announcements he makes every
day, his journal could not be conducted. If he were even
to confine his attention to the examination of the pro-
spectuses of joint-stock companies — and this will appeal to
Mr Anderson — he would be in the Bankruptcy Court in
six months. Suppose the directors of any one of hundreds
of bubble concerns which every year carry away the public
with 'bogus* announcements were to appear before the
manager of the Times with their prospectuses, what would
they think if he said, ' Gentlemen, before I insert this you
must prove to me that it is not a gross swindle \ ' and how
would they proceed to do so ? "
We admit to a weakness for reading the sporting papers,
and can therefore vouch for the truth of what the Sporisman
5ays about its own action. It would have been well, how-
330 liiSTOHY OF ADVERTJSIS'G.
ever. If other papers had been as careful, for we happen to
know that all the contemporaries of the journal from which
we have quoted did not come out with quite such clean
hands- Some not only continued to insert the advertise-
ments, despite numerous complaints, but actually doulfd
the usual tariff price to the thieves. This seems to ha^-e
been a prelty general proceeding when the discretionary
movement was at its height, all papers which continued to
insert the specious swindles after the exposures had begun
being very careful to be well paid for their trouble. As in
these days the plain truth is often the most desperate of
libels, we must refrain from particularising; but we should
think that no one in liis sober senses will dispute the evi-
dent fact that such newspaper proprietors as look double
pay from men because they knew they were assisting them
in robbery, were morally far and away more guilty than the
robbers themselves. If any apology is needed for oar going
so far into the betting subject, it will be found in the almost
total ignorance, as well as the blind prejudice, which is every
day manifested about the difference between the commission
agents and their greatest enemies, the advertising welchers.
The raid which drove the bookmakers from London to
the principal towns in Scotland seems almost to have been
organised by the authorities in the interest of the scampi
of the betting world. It certainly was considerably to
latter's advantage. In the hurry and turmoil which ev<
tuated from the hegira, it was hard for people who were
experts to tell the good men from the bad; and as, the mc
unfounded a man's pretensions, the greater were his
miscs, letters containing remittances almost swarmed inl
the offices least worthy, of confidence. One good, howei
resulted from this. The conversion of sinners we have tl
best authority for regarding as a blessing, and it must
admitted that owing to the manner in which money poured
in upon them, and one or two subsequent bits of luck in
the way of unbacked horses* victories, men who went to
SH'hyDLES AND HOAXES.
33«
^dsgow and Edinburgh as adventurers, if not as actual
hieves, remained to become not only solvent, but strictly
'trtuous. It was not, however, until affairs had somewhat
ettled down in the North, until Scotland began to be re-
;arded as the permanent abode of the layer of odds, that
.dvertisements which on the face of them were gigantic
windles appeared. Hitherto the attempts of impostors had
>een confined to a semblance of really fair and legitimate
>usiness, the firm being existent as long as there was nothing
o pay, and nan €si immediately the blow came. And people
rho imagine that a bookmaker has nothing to do but take
noncy, would respect him rather more than they do now if
iftcr one or two big races they could see his account, and
jote the scrupulous manner in which every debt is paid, if
)e bids for respectability in his vocation. A delay of a day
n his settlement would lead to unpleasant results, for the
'cry contiguity of the thieves makes the honest men more
;xact in their transactions. So it is usual, when a man has
noney to receive by post from a commission agent, for him
o get it at once, or most likely not at all. The tipstering
md touting fraternities had, while the headquarters of
idvertising turfites remained in London, been satisfied with
ihort paragraphs intimating their absolute knowledge of the
uture, and their willingness to communicate such knowledge
o the British public for a consideration in the way of
tamps, or a percentage on winnings. But when once ready
noncy had been tasted, it seemed to act on these people
£ blood is said to on tigers, and they determined to have
norc at all risks. It was useless to try for it a year or so
iter the migration by applications couched in the ordinary
tyle, for the run of business was by that time divided
iniong certain firms, and the old slow way of giving advice
or shillings and sixpences was abhonent to minds that
oared after bank-notes and post-ofBce orders; besides, it
lad very nearly worn itself out. Fresh moves were there-
ore necessary, and they were made in various ways, each of
33a
JIIS70KY OF ADVEKTISSNG,
which uas more or less successful. The most important of
tliem all, and the one with which we have to do now, was
the discretionary-investment dodge, which was for a time s
complete success, and which would have lasted much longer
than it did, had it not been for the faculty of imitation pos-
sessed by thieves other than those who inaugurated the
venture. Imitation may be the sinccrcst form of flatter)-,
but even flattery must be painful when it is destructive, and
Messrs Ballice & Walter could doubtless have dispensed
with the crowds who followed in their wake, and almost
made the fortunes of all papers who would take their adver-
tisements. AVe arc not aware whether the system was
invented by Balliee & Walter, either or both \ but, anyhow,
they were its first promoters to any extent, and became
thoroughly identified with it. Rumour states that Balliee
was a kind of ^^^s Harris, and that Walter was the firm.
This is nothing to us, though, however much it may be to
those who were despoiled of their cash by the discretionary
swindle. The advertisements put forth for the benefit of
those willing to trust their money blindly into the hands
of men of whom they knew nothing must have been very
successful, for it is admitted that the letters received in
Glasgow for Balliee & Walter were so enormous in quantity
that special arrangements had often to be made for their
delivery. It is noticeable that swindlers of this description
always assume that their firm is not only long established
but well known, and the following* taken from the first jm-c
of the Sporting Life of the Derby-day 187 1, will show that
the particular people in question had no scruple about inveni
ing facts for the purpose of substantiating their arguments ;•
'y^HE
KINGSCLERE LONDON AND GLASGOW TU]
COMMISSION AGENCY.
Messrs. BALLIEE and WALTER beg to inform Ibelr subscribers
and the sporting public that, ia consequence of increase of business,
they liave opened a Comnil&sion Agency in Glasgow, where in future
ftil cuuunissions wUi be c^iecuccd.
tmtn may rely on liberal Ircfltment and prompt settlement of
J, All letters answered same day as received.
SH'/XDIES AND NOAXES.
333
SSRS. BALLIEE AND WALTER
(Members of the principal \Vcst-End Clubs),
62, Jamaica Stkebt. Glasgow.
retofore, ComniiHioDs of every description, and to any amount,
indertakcn, ihc following being the leading features : —
TMKNTS ON FORTHCOMING EVENTS cnected at the bcst
Prices.
Favourites backed at the post, and the rate of odds guanin-
noted by the sporting paper the investor chooses to adopt,
s* Mounts invested upon in accordance with any scale or
lUMlssiONS for EPSOM MEETING will meet with prompt
THE EPSOM CARNIVAL.
THE OAKS A CERTAINTY.
[So if to be a millionaire at present is yotir aim,
lon't hesitate, but join at once our syslcmfttic gains."
ShakxpcarCf revised and improved.
IA Safe Investment.— Winning a Certainty,
fGSCLERE RACING CIRCULAR
DISCRETIONARY INVESTMENTS.
^ Messrs. BALLlfcE and WALTPIR, Proprietor*
(Memlwrs of the principal WeU-End Clubs),
nly reco^ised method by which backers of horses can win
B5 at all the principal meetings.
'Prospectuses Free on Receipt op- Addres.
SRS. BALLIEE and WALTER draw the aitcniion of inves-
fn to the alMmportant fact thai they alune of all 6rms who
jB Discretionary Investments arc to be seen personally in the
d are represented at the lists outside, at every meeting through*
racing season. Some firms, although they state they ore pies-
never to be seen.
LECTED MORTEMERTO WIN AND A PLACE
FOR CMF.STER CUP;
k
334 ///STOJ^y OF ADVERT/SIXG.
THE DWARF,
GREAT NORTHERN;
LORD HAWTHORN.
FLYING DUTCHMAN;
STANLEY.
DONCASTER SPRING HANDICAP;
With nearly every other winner at York and Newmarket.
Wc defy contradiction, and court inquiry.
Results ok Late Meetings: —
Each j£"io investor at York was remitted by Friday's post (May M
;£'loS nett winnings.
£acliji^5 investor at Doncastcr was remitted hy Monday's post,;
Being exclusive of stake and nett return after commission (5 per
cent.) had been deducted.
Newmarket accounts and winnings were forwarded by Tut
post, May 16.
Gentlemen of capital and backers of horses can now judge of
jntrinsic value of this infallible system of backing oar Final Seic
at the post.
MESSRS. BALLIEE and WALTER will continue tbetr hi
successful syjilcm of DISCRETIONARY INVESTMENT
at the
EPSOM MEETING,
where they personally attend, and as such a great influx of business!
expected during the Derby Week, they have engaged three extra C<
missioners to assist Ihcm in carr^'ing out the system, and again
laoguine of realising a gold- achieving riclory.
AT Epsom Meeting Last Summer, Season 1S70,
Eachj^25 investor was returned £yoi nett Winnings, in addition
stake deposited.
Each investor of/20 in 1S68 realised j^487.
£So u 1870 » £iAO^-
The above sums were paid to each investor of the specified amonni
and this season we with confidence assert that the inv&»tments will bo
more remunerative to the investor.
The Oaks this season will be won by, comparatively speaking, on
outsider. Last season's sul>scribers will remember our warning them
as;ainst Hester, and we assure our readers llut Hannah will, hke oil
the Baron's favourites, be doomed to defeat. A clever Northern divi-
sion have a filly the beau ideal of Blink Bonny, as being tried a 71b
better animal than Boihwell, and with health must win the fillici' r.icc
SIVJ.XDIES AND HOAXES.
335
"1 1 canter. The owner most unfortunately oinUled to enter her for the
* wo I'housand and Derby, or we should Iiave seen her credited with
^^firat-named event, and first favourite for Blue Riband honours.
SEVERAL RODS ARE IN PICKLE
■Or the minor events. Particulars were given in our last week's Cir-
^lar (May 12), and even at this distant period wc arc enabled to pre-
dict the sacccu of liix ceitaiii winners.
K^ HAVING HORSES OF OUR OWN,
^^nlhers identical with our interests, running at this meeting, coupled
■Win the important commissions wc have the working of at EPSOM.
Our knowledge of market movements, tlie intimate terms we are on
Irith the various owners, jockeys, and trainers, our social position with
the elite of tlie racing world, enables us to asi;eitaiu the intentions of
Other owners and the clumces their respcciivc candidates po^ess —
[nformalion far beyond the reach of other nivenisers.
ris is by no means all; Ave merely pause to take breath
recover self-possessioo, after a steaily perusal of Mr
Walter's benefactions. It is noticeable that the standard of
verse employed by these philanthropists is about on a par
Mfilh their standard of morality. It seems wonderful that
any sane person should believe in the existence of a certain
guide to the winning-ix)st, and the idea that, if there had
been such a thing, Messrs Balliee & Walter would have
assuredly used it for themselves alone, never seems to have
entered into the heads of their victims, at all events until
100 late. After the vaimt about position and information,
Ibc intimates of " the elite of the racing world " go on : —
MESSRS. BALLIEE and WALTER, alone of all firms that un-
dertake Uiscrelionary Inveslments, are to be seen personally tn
the Ring, and lliey wlsli to draw the attention of Turf speculators to
the fact that NO OTHUR ADVERTISERS ARE OWNERS OF
HORSES, despite what they may say to the contrary. If their systems
equalled ours, would they not accept the challenge given by us for the
past twelve months in the various sporting papers? Vide commence-
ineni of ftdvertiiicment.
So sangiiine are we of niocess at Kpsom, the innumemble and
peculiar advantages presented, and every facility being offered fur the
successful working of our
DISCRETIONARY METHOD,
Ihat wc are enabled to
336
nrSTORY OF ADVSRT/SIXU,
GUARANTEE AGAINST LOSS,
ftiid assert with confidence that
>VI>miNG IS REDUCED TO AN ABSOLUTE CERTAINTV.
Deposit REQurRKn for Discretionary Investments at the
EPSOM SUMMER MEETING:—
;t5oo.;^ioo,/so.;i^25.jC»o, or^^s.
By investing in accordance with tliis infallible method of backing oar
final selections ac the post, loss is simply an impossibility, and gitaran-
tccd against,
WINNING BEING REDUCED TO AN ABSOLUTE
CERTAINTY,
This onen-repeated asftenion (and not once contradicted for the past
five years), and the winnings realised weekly for subscribers who patron-
ise this system, is sufficient to prove its intrinsic value.
This is just the sort and class of meeting for gentlemen of capital and
systemalic investors to invest a £yxi or ;^l,ooo bank, being indeed a
golden opportunity that all should embrace. The fact of our £uar>o*
teeing
A Win Equal to pi^r Success of Last Summek,
and, as previously slated,
GVARANTCE to HOtD THR ISVr.STOR. AGAINST LoSS OF EVEN A
Fractional Part of Capital Employed,
should be sufficient to convince gentlemen of the true character aiwl
value of this infallible method of backing our final selections at l)w
post.
CAN ANY SYSTEM BE SO LUCRATIVE TO THE
INVESTOR?
Our position as owners of horses and proprietors of "TITE KINGS-
CLERE RACING CIRCULAR." the most successful medium of lOl
Turf advices, and has treble the circulation of Awy other circular pql^'
lished ; the flattering encomiums passed on our ''Infallible Method"
by llie Sporting Press of the United Kmgdotn, and being recommended
by them as
"The only recognised method by which backers of horses can win
large sums at all the principal meetings ;"
coupled with our position as the most influential Comn)i<;$ton Agents
both in the London and Manchester Markets, ensure gentlemen en*
trusting us with Discretionary Investments being fairly and honestly
dealt with, and the successes that we promise and achieve meeting after
meeting in the columns of thii and other papers.
SPy/J^^DZSS AND JiOAXES.
CTS ARE STUBBORN THINGS.
following average results speak volumes in favour
; following successes have been achieved this season by
THE KINGSCLERE RACING CIRCULAR'S
INFALLIBLE METHOD
OP
DISCRETIONARY INVESTMENTS.
\^%$ investor at Enfield received nctt winnings value j^'aoa
:h C\^ investor at Lichfield was remitted by Thursday's post
I I3)j£S2 10!^., being winnings and stake included, after the 5
:nt. commission had been deducted.
:h investor of a /^ro slake at llie Lincoln Meeting received nvtt
Bgs of;^i8o 105. by Tuesday's post, March 38,
di investor at Liverpool in accordance with this system, on two
Its, viz.,
THE LAMB Win,
SCARUINGTON A place,
^75 with each /lo invested.
J^to stake realised j^2oo nett winnings at the Burton (Lincoln)
ng-
[25 stake invested on Waterloo Cup realised ^^300,
MASTER McGRATH
■elected right throughout the piece, and again in finals with Pre-
4
*io stake realised at the Cambridgeshire Meeting the sum of j^240
nnnings.
*5 stake at the West Drayton Meeting realised ^30 nett winnings.
imley and several other meetings were also highly successful.
Cmxton Park each £,\o invested realised ;^I0L nett.
lj^25 invested at Thirak realiaedj^iso.
ABOVE AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN PAID THIS SEA-
pro ALL PATRONS WHO ENTRUSTED US WITH
LETIONARY INVESTMENTS OVER THESE MEET-
[.again proving the value of this method over all oLhers adver*
augurs well for the future, as the above successes » '^ ^}^'
ttend EPSOM, and are always successful ih with
lally a
LOSS HAS NEVERN?CCURRED
J circum-
TO FOi;an at tlic
\
338
I/rSTORY OP ADVERTISING.
OF OUR SYSTEM, and ihia season we are even more than ever
confident of success.
Cash reaching us on Thursday will be in time for two days* inveil^
menu ; and casih Arriving by Friday's first post will be invested on
Oaks winner and the Uu day of the meeting.
Five per cent, deducted from all winnings.
The Larcer the Sta.ke, the Greater Scope is Availablb
FOR Lucrative Speculation.
Loss OF Stake is in all cases Guaranteed Against.
The opulent winnings realised weekly throughout the season cannot
fail to convince systematic speculators that this system is the pw
cxccltence of all methods for winning large sunu at each and every
important race-gathering.
Winnings and account of inveslmcnu will be forwarded on Monday,
May 29.
Investoncan ha'i'e their winnings (less 5 per cent.) remitted by ope*
cheque or bank notes, as preferred, by signifying their wishes on thit
point when rcmilltng cash for investment.
One trial is sufficient to prove to the mo^t sceptical the value of
method over all others advertised. Gentlemen who have lost
money in the so-called winning modus swindles, or through folloi
Ibcir own fancies, (tdvice of puffing tipsterv, newspaper seU
backing first favourites, Jockeys' mounis, or any other system, sfa(
give our infallible method a trial at the Epsom Meeting, Cash she
be forwarded to reach us on or before Tuesday, addic&scd to Mr W»
WALTER, 62 Jamaica-street, GIa5gow. If after that dale, adc
letters, &c, &c.. W. H. WALTER (of Kingsclcre), Box ao, Pi
office, Epsom, where due precaution has been taken for their
delivery.
Cheques to be crossed, Bank, Newbury. Letters containing
notes to be regUtercd. Scotch and Irish notes taken as cxsh. Sti
204. 6d. to the pound. P.O. Orders in all canes to be made payal
W. H. WALTER, and drawn on the Post-ofHce, Newbury, Uc'rki
* ^* The successes we achieve weekly, our social status on the
the years we have been before the public, the fact of our being
moters of Dtscrclionaiy Investments, our selecting Jack Spigot for
and Suburban, A' ulcnn for Lincoln Handicap, the Lamb for Gi
National, fiothwcU for Two Thousand, Moricmer (a place), Ch<
vutT^.. t],g Dwarf for Great Northern Handicap; Lord llawi
both in Dutchman's Handicap ; Stanley, Doncastcr Handicap,
Inwling U4 ^^y other winner at York and Doncaster, &c., prove the
dealt with, a nnation and the integrity and value of our system of
"»^''"C in »l>ry Investments.
Siy/XDIES AND HOAXES,
S THE
fCSCLERE RACING CIRCULAR of Friday next (May
[^), price ts., will contain a Review of the Derby running, and
flNNER OF THE ASCOT STAKES, with some imporlant
iuicnt ROVAL HUNT CUP and ST. LEGER, with selections
ftys for all races at the Manchester, Scarborough, Winchester,
Drayton, and Wye Meetings. Notes on the Two Year Old
of the Season, and a Bird's-eye View of the Middle Park Plnle,
particulars of Waller's Visit to the Dark Two Year Olds at
graining Grounds. Terms; — Season, 21s. — Addre&s orders and
\ W. H. WALTER (of Kingsclcrc), Ravciiscouri Park, Ilammcr-
'London. W.
hanking our Derby subscribers far their past support, we respect-
l^icit a continuance of their favours on the above terms.
(Private Telegraphic Key Book will be issued to Season Sub-
'% only in the course of a few days. Those that intend renew-
BIT subscriptions should do so at once.
■
must not be imaginc<l that this advertisement was
icd to obtain one large haul before the business was
Joned. With little alteration it ran for a very consider-
mc in many papers, and the expenses of advertising
must have been enormous. For it is not to be ex-
ihat any blind credulity exhibited itself in tlie various
ing offices, and hard cash, and plenty of it, had to
nded before a line of Ballicc & Walter's was allowed
:ar. It will be seen by what we have quoted that
bgs and accounts of investments are promised on Mon-
ind in true business-like style every depositor received
bvelope. With what feverish anxiety many must have
(open the enclosure ! So many men, so many minds,
the proverb, and the ways of expressing wrath must
'1 been various indeed. We are, however, not in a
fon to furnish any particulars as to how the news was
ircd, it is enough to know what the information was.
las maybe guessed, it was not satisfactory. The cir-
k were always neatly constructed, and set forth with
[ret that owing to a combination of untoward circum-
ses the iiopcs of the chief investor, '* the man at the
340
HISTORY OF ADVERTISIKC,
post," had been dashed, and for that week — always th<
week of such an occurrence — matters had resulted
Irously. Then wouUl follow a statement of accou
which it was shown that investments had been fortu
the outset, that then they had changed, and tliat by p!
loo much money on an apparent certainty, so as to r©
the losings, the whole bulk of the bank had departed,
to return. The sums received by Messrs Balliee &
ter were of course various, and according to the amount,
was the table arranged ; but there was a great family
ness about them all, the principle being to show tlia)
horses, when they did not win, were very close up, an
seconds, with now and again a third, were nearly al
chosen ! Thus one ;^io stake for the Derby week of
— the week in which the advertisement given appei
was accounted for thus : —
Epsom, Tuesday, May 23.
Trial Slakes. Manille,
Horlon Stakes, Trident, .
Mai-ien Plate, Queen Bee,
Hous Stakes, Bandcrolle,
Woodcote Sukes, Cremomc (II to S on),
Wednesday.
Bentinck Plate, Lady Atholstone,
Derby, King of ilic Forest,
Stanley Stakes, Hamilton,
Match, Lizzie Cowl (5 to 4 on),
Manor Stakes, Holdcnby,
Town Plate, Banderolle, . «
Thursday.
Glasgow Plate, Countryman (2 lo I on).
High Level Handicap, Free Trade, .
Two-year-old Sl«)ces, Clotilde filly, .
'J'adworlli Stakes, Manna,
^Yon.
— l^
— I
—* 3
— O
;^0 14 6
— o
— I
o S o
050
C\ 7 6 j!:i3 :
With five percent, commission charged on the win
this left a balance o! ^i, 3s. g^d. due to Messrs Ba
SIV/XDLSS AND HOAXES.
34«
& Walter, which it was hoped would be at once remitted.
This was cruel, but crueller still was the statement, that had
ihe stake been larger, affairs would have arranged theni-
felves satisfactorily, as a great change took place at the
close of Thursday and on Friday, and those whose banks
lasted over the first run of ill-luck left oflf winners of larse
sums. With the demand for payment of balance came a
request which, from its very coolness, must have staggered
those who, being once victimised, could sec through the
swindle, though in very many instances — as if in corrobor-
ation of Mr Carlyle's theory — it was complied with. This
was a desire for a fresh trial, and positive security from loss
was guaranteed. It is noticeable in the table given that
by a judicious selection of races and horses the winnings
%vere bound to be always low, as animals with odds on are
selected, and that when stakes are lowest. When on the
doubling principle the stake on the chosen winner would
"Le inconveniently large a race was omitted. The returns
made were necessarily variouS|but that given is an accurate
representative of the system.
Balliee & Walter continued to flourish for a long time ;
but whether it was that they became individually greedy,
•whether newspaper proprietors became exorbitant in their
demands on the spoil, or whether rivalry affected them, we
lunow not, all we do know is that they committed a most
openly outrageous act on a race-course, and the bubble at
once burst It may seem strange that anything discre-
tionary-investment agents, who ha<l been gradually becom-
ing a byword and a reproach, could do would affect their
position ; but our duty is to record the fact, and not to
allow it to be disputed on any theoretic grounds. If they
had calmly continued to merely swindle, they might have
advertised till now \ but they outraged the sanctity of the
British race-course, and were damned for all time, if not to
all eternity. They had become possessed by some means
or other of a hurdle-racer called Goodfcllow, and two or
34»
HISTORY OF ADVERTISIXG.
three weelcs before one of the suburban gate-money nn
ings they made a match for Iiim to run a race at it agaii
a very moderate mare. Immediately this was done tl
circularised all customers, telling them to bo sure and
Goodfellow, as he could not possibly lose, and stating ll
on account of very heavy investments already made, th<
could afford, as a favour to fheir clients, to return them
double the od<i3 which would be laid against Goodfellow
on the day. In the Kingsdcrc Racing Circuiar^ a weekly
pamphlet issued by these honourable gentlemen, we UnJ
imderdate March lo, 1871, the following ingenious apphci-
tion. This, it has been since proved, brought heavy sums
to the Ravcnscourt Park exchequer, whence it was
allowed to depart, Messrs Balliee & Walter, like true
legitimate bookmakers, preferring to lay the 6 to 4's agains
their own horse themselves, rather than that their patrons
should be inconvenienced by having to take shorter pried
from others : —
CROYDON SPECIAL INVESTMENT.
The match— Goodfellow v. Harrielt— will come off at Croydon oi'
Tuesday next. It is simply a matter of putting the coin down
picking it up again. It is any odds on our tior^e, and as we wish
Subsctibers to participate in this certainty, we will undertake lo ot
for them 6 10 4 for all cash sent, which must reach Mr Walter, Rai
court Park, if possible by Monday evening, and not later llian
day's Arst post. Gibson is sure to back Harriett for a looo^
probably bring her favourite. Tlic solo reason of us wishing Subscii
lo allow ui to invest for them, is lo prevent ihem rushing on and spt
Uic market, which will be lo their interest as well as our owa.
have engaged one of the clovercst cross country riders of the day to
Goodreltow, and our horse never was so fit and well as at the pi
time, DanieU will h.ive the mount of Harriett. Such a chance
not occur again ihioughout the season. Investors should speculi
£10 or j^ioo Bank. We cannot undertake lo invest more than
for any one of our patrons.
BythismeansBalliee&Waltcrobtainetl from their purbl
dupes a large amount of money with which to back
iellow, and of this they of course placed as much as
sm^Ia\'dles and /waxes.
343
could upon Harriett, the opposing candidate. In the race,
if race so iniquitous a transaction can be called, the discre-
tionary-investment Iiorse was, as might have been expected,
"pulled," so that Baliiee & Walter had all the money
they received to the good, besides what they won from the
unsuspecting by backing the animal they had pretended
to oppose. Tliis led to their gradually disappearing from
the front pages of the newspapers, thovigh they continued
their business under an alias very successfully- Walter was
eventually fined a hundred pounds at one of the metropoli-
tan courts, under the Belting-House Act, 1S53, for having
carried on a part of his business at Ilammersmith. It
seems rather ludicrous that a man should have been fined
for what he in reality never did. But lawyers and magis-
trates could not distinguish the difference between betting
and only pretending to bet, so they fined Mr Walter just as
they would have done if ];e had been a really honourable
man, and had therefore desefved punishment.
From the discretionary-investment class of turf-swindler
we will now pass on to another, quite as ingenious and very
often as dangerous. A few years back, when opportunity
served — that is, when the honest layer of odds was harassed
by the police and driven from London, and when good men
and bad were almost irremediably mixed up — a sharp rogue
hit upon an idea for making the lipstering and private-
advice business a means to quite a new phase of imposi-
tion. This was known among those who profited ly it as
••forcing the voucher,'' and a very pretty little game it was
while it lasted, though the profits of pioneers were of
course consitlerably diminished as soon as ever the secret
got wind, by the imitative faculty to which reference has
been already made. Commencing, as usual, with small
advertisements and large profits, forcers in time found them-
selves, by stress of competition, obliged to spend a good
share of their hard earnings in specially-templing invitarions
to those who would go any but the right way towards being
341
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING,
wealthy ; or else to seek other courses. So in 1872 we
three or four firms occupying a large share of the paj
and giving forth promises without stint Whether t1
original forcer was in any of these partnerships it is imj
sible to tell, as the names were, as a rule, fictitious, and oft(
changed ; but whether or not, it is certain that those wbl
advertised heaviest drove all small thieves from the fieldl
and so, two years back, the business, as far as we are con^
cerned, was carried on chiefly by Adkins & U'ood, Robertl
Danby & Co., Marshall & Grant, and James RawUngs &'
Co., who advertised quite separately, but whose notifications
might very easily have been the work of one pen. Wc will
therefore take Rawlings & Co. to represent the fraternity,
and in their advertisement which appeared at the end of
April 1872 will be found the peculiarities of all the otheis.
This is it :—
DIGBY GRAND sent to every season subscriber, and for a place it
6 to I, to every reader of
-yilL PKIlMIER racing CIRCULAR-
Proprietors,
JAMES RAWLINGS and Co.,
6s,YORK PLACE,
EOINBURGIL
Published by the Proprietors every Saturday, at their chief ofGce, 6| :
York Place, Edinburgh.
THE PREMIER RACING CIRCULAR sUlI maintains its wcU.
merited reputation as the only infallible and nncrringiy-succcssfol
winninf; g^ide, by the aid "of which private backcn can and do, week
by week, lealisc hundreds of pounds with perfect safety over the pria-
cipal races ihroughout ihe kingdom. The uninterrupted series
Rucccsbes which have attended its vaiiginations during past
have l)een gloriously crowned by the success of every special ini
nicnt advised in its pages this season, as will be seen by ihe follow
list of winuere already given : —
SWINDLES AXD I/OAXSS.
345
Price at which
ciicDia wero
Kjk*. Seleettan. R««ult. put on.
[Croydon Footman Won... 15 lo i
Uncuin Hnndicap Guy Dayrell Won... 20 lb 1
^Gnnd Naiional Casse T£tc Won... 2510!
'ouinghara Handicap Flurry Won... 10 to I
Ireat Warwick Handicap ... Cedric tlic Saxon ... Won... 12 to I
'^arwick Cirand AnnuaJ Snow-ilonn Won... 7 to I
forthamptonshire Stakes ... Messager Won... 8 to i
!ity and Suburban Dig by Grand Won... 25101
TTius ftj^io Ktalce on each of our selections already made this season
has now won the handsome sum of^i, 164 after deducting our commit*
iion of 5 per cent.
If one statement of the above glorious triumph is untnie, we boldly
invite our subscribeni and clients to expose us in the fullest manner in
the sporting papers. Promptitude, dc-patch, exactitude, and liberality,
as in the past, will ever be our watchwords in the future.
Every reader of " The Sporting Life '' is earnestly invited to send at
once for this week's number, as the information therein contained will
enable everyone to win a little fortune over that splendid and highly
lucrative mode of invcitmcnl—
A DOUBLE EVENT
lltat cannot be upset.
The positive Winners of
THE TWO THOUSAND
and
ONE THOUSAND GUINEAS,
rarely lliat we advise tliis method of investing, but when we
sent out to our clients a double event it has never failed to come
Last year we advised a double event fur these races—
• Two Thousand.. Bothwell Won
One Thousand Hannah Won
And this year both our selections arc, if possible^ greater and more
ttndeniable certainties.
B THE TWO THOUSAND GUINEAS.
Of all the good things that in the course of a long and varied expe-
rience on the Turf it ha* ever been our good fortune to be posseted of,
we cannot recall a single occasion on which every attendant circum-
atance combined so surely to render, as in the present instance, the race
such an absolute foregone conclusion for our selection. The trial which
took place this week was unprecedented in its severity, and, to the
k
///STOSV Of ADVERT1S2XG.
Burprise of owner and trainer, the animal performed K> far beyond
their most sanguine expectations or hopes as to show them that >i.
is reduced to tlie greatest moial certainly ever known in the hii
the English Turf. This is an opportunity similar to those llial iiivc
made the fortunes of many of our most wealthy speculators, for whom,
as in the present instance, victory is a foregone conclusion and defeat a
moral impossibility. Everyone should seize the opportunity of reaping
the rich harvest of golden fruit that awaits t)ie bold speculator of fort-
^one cunclu:>ion& like this.
THE ONE THOUSAND GUINEAS.
It ii to us an easy task to select ihe winner of this race, as the
iQimensc supeiiority she enjoys over every other animal ergaged
(known only to owner, Imlner, and ourselves) is so vast that this race
will be little more than an exercise canter for this speedy filly. So
quietly has this good thing been nursed by the shrewd division to which
the mare belongs, that a real good price is now to be had, though when
this superb specimen of an English thoroughbred is seen at the fKtst,
we arc confiilent that even money will be eagerly snapped up by those
who till then neglect to back her.
THE DOUBLE EVENT,
as stated above, is as sure to come oflT as these lines are in print.
Send then at once for this week's number, and do not delay an hour if
you wish to land a fortune over these two genuine certainties.
We could wisiU no better opportunity to display the genuine good
things sent out by the "Premier Racing Circular" than these two
races present, and we beg that everyone will at once send six stampi
and stami>e<l addressed envelope fur this week's number, and stand
the» morals to win lliem a fortune.
Address —
JAMES RAWLINCS and Co.,
65, York Place,
Edinburgh.
If we were not certain that these men got large sums of
money from willing victims, it would seem almost impossible
that people could be found credulous enough to believe
that absolute certainly could be secured on the turf. Cer-
tainty of losing is naturally much easier than certainly of
winning, and yet even loss cannot be reduced to less than
.imminent probability so long as a horse goes to the post
I
SIV/NDLES AND HOAXES.
347
tinphysickcd, and the jockey is not allowed to openly pull
him. And so, though no one will attempt to defend
Messrs Rawlings & Co., their dujies deserve but the
smallest amount of pity ; for even the most foolish of them
must have known that certainty of winning to them must have
meant certainty of losing to the other side, and that there-
fore, even if the contract had been carried out, somebody
roust have been swindled. If it were not for the greed and
avarice which mainly direct the actions of those who are
generally known as fools, magsmen, sharpers, discretionary-
investment commissioners, and voucher-forcers would ha\*e
to take to honest employment. This may seem a truism,
yet when a skittle-sharper or *' street-mugger " is tried in a
police court, and convicted for having victimised a ** flat,"
it never seems to strike the magistrate or the general public
that the prisoner simply swindled a man who had all the
will but not the ability to swindle liini. And there can be no
reasonable doubt— we shoultl rr^vich like to see the matter
tried — that the principal supports of rogues are the most
grasping, selfish, and hard-hearted of mortals, and not at all
the soft, good-natured bumpkins that they arc generally
depicted. We should not like to trust to either the honour
or the honesty of any man who had been concerned even
as a victim in one of the transactions which now and again
appear in the police reports ; and if we had any sympathy,
which is not very likely, to bestow on either side, it would
certainly be given to the man who gets sent to prison.
Rawlings & Co. seem to have managed the spring cam-
paign of 1872 very successfully, for while other members of
the same brotherhood had to drop out of the papers or to
appear in new guise after April, we find our heroes still
merrily addressing the public from the front [lage of the
sporting papers of June 8, and as able to guarantee freedom
from loss as ever. And though it may not seem long from
the end ot April to this early part of June, it must be
recollected that within that space several very important
■
ff/sTony OF ADVEnrisryc.
meetings are held, and that dismal gaps are found In
the ranks of both ** wrong " and '• right " men after a Derby,
especially after such a Derby as Cremorne's, which found
out the weak spots in a good many big books, and altered
the prospects of many a turfite, professional ^.tmX amateur.
So finding Rawlings so well ihrougli, we were tempted at
the time to communicate with him, and discover the prin-
ciple upon wliich he " forced the voucher." Here is his
advertisement of June 8, in which he glories in past
triumphs and feels confident of fuLure successes : —
CREMORNE, QUEEN'S MESSENGER, AND REINE.
TAMES RAWLINGS and Co., the oldest established Turf
J advisers in Grcal nritain ; proprietors of
THE PREMIER RACING CIRCULAR,
the most successful winning guide extant.
T^UE PREMIER RACING CIRCULAR, selected Cremorae
-^ and Rciue.
q^HE PREMIER RACING CIRCULAR of this day conuuni
^ three certainties.
npilE PREMIER RACING CIRCULAR'S selections pulled off
-L tlie double event for the Dciby and Oaks, likewise Queen's
Messenger fur a place at 4 10 l.
'-pHE PREMIER RACING CIRCULAR hai this srason selected
-^ each and every important winner, as may be seen by referring to
back numbers of this publication, invaluable alike (o large and small
speculators. The propiictors beg lespectfully to draw the attention t&\
that section of the public who have neglected to take advantage of thA
opportuiuties that they have, for the past three mouths, weekly drawn
attention to in the columns of this and other journals, that this week's
number of the Premier Racing Circular will contain three of the
greatest morals and most undeniable certainties ever known in this or
any other era of the Turfs history, namely, the winner of
THE ASCOT STAKES.
a real good thing, at a real good price. Over tliis race any gentlemao
may safely invest as heavily as he may think fit, as wc know that our
selection cannot be beaten ; the course is peculiarly adapted to the
anunal's action, and the stable have satisfied tlicmselves, past qucsUoo
Sll'IXDLES AND I/OAXES. 349
or doabt, that he possesses both speed and stamina to land this event
with the utmost ease.
THE ROYAL HUNT CUP
is equally a certainty for a veritable flyer^ whose merits have hitherto
been so cleverly concealed by the owner, that the handicapper has no
idea of his sterling excellence. He is undergoing a special preparation
for this race, the best light-weight in the world will be in the saddle,
and a long price is now to be had.
THE NORTHUMBERLAND PLATE.
We have ne^r yet missed selecting the winner of this race, and as the
cleverest division on the Turf, as to whose movements we are always au
fait, have specially laid themselves out to secure this prize, the public
may rely upon it that, as in past years, we shall again select the
winner.
This weeVs number contains full particulars of these undeniable and
gold-producing morals, in addition to a mass of other information in-
Taluable to iMickers, No one should invest a shilling on any one of
die above races without first forwarding us six stamps and stamped
directed envelope for this week's issue.
Address —
JAMES RAWLIXGS and Co.,
6$, York Place,
Edinbcrgh.
Six stamps and a stamped directed envelope were ac-
cordingly sent, and in return we received a copy of the
Premier Racing Ciratiary dated June 6, which was full
of congratulations, and which promised far more than even
the advertisements did. One paragraph in it was speci-
ally worthy of attention. It ran thus : " We have sezrral
commissions still unseUled over the Derby and Oaks, Genile-
men holding winning vouchers will please send them in at
once" What could be more fair, honourable, and straight-
forward than this; and who would think of suspecting
Rawlings of unfair dealing? Yet, at the very time the
invitation we have quoted appeared, the people who sent
in their winning vouchers received in return, not money,
but the following circular, which we reprint exactly, and
which, with the alteration of the signature and the name
of the meeting, will do for any firm and any week's racing
350
HISTORY OF ADVERTISIXG.
the reader may choose. This is one of a lot we have col-
lected at times from many victims; —
65 York Place, EDir^BCROH.
SIR.
Wc regret to inform you iKat, in consequence of some of oor]
important Accounts not having been settled at Epsom this week, we
must unavoidably postpone the settlement. This is the first time that:
such an unpleasantness has i-tccurrcd, but we can assure you that wc have'
done all in our power in the matter. No one regrets this unforl«nal«]
itfTair more than ourselves, after Ber\-ing the public so faithfully forsudl'
a number of year%, and all we can do is to remit you immediately we
receive winnings from the teniporn.rily embarrassed Couimissioncn.
Meanwhile, Wc remain,
Yours faithfully,
JAMES RAWLINGS & CO.
There is no boast in the statement, that when we received
the Premier Racing Circular^ we were pretty well ac-
quainted with the manner in which Rawlings conducted his
business — it would be a poor thing to boast about — and so
we turned to the envelope to look for the vouchers we knew
would be there. And there they were, enclosed in a piece
of paper, on whicli was the information, that owing to the
large sums they had invested when the horses were at long
shots, they could afford to return odds considerably over
the current market ; and winding up with a request that
intending backers would at once forward the amounts for
which the vouchers were filled in, or any part of it wlijch
wotild suit them. Yes, there they were, three in number,
looking like cheques — the first, No. 32,323, being for the
Ascot Slakes, and bearing the bet of ^^200 to ;^ic against
Palmerston for the Ascot Stakes. The second was nui
bered 36,162, and said ;^3oo to ^£"10 Pitchfork for lh(
Royal Hunt Cupj and the third was 39.346, and was
the tunc of ^£^400 to ^20 Minerve for the Northumb<
land Plate. And this is the advice with regard to ihei
given in the Ciraihr^ without the alteration of even
letter:—
SiriXDI.ES A.\D //<).-L\'/:S. 351
r//£ PITCHFORK, PALMEnSTO.\\ AXD MIXERVE
COMMISSION.
We have been able to work the Commission (Pitchfork, Palmerston,
and Minerve), at an unusual liberal price, and we herewiih ofTer for
yonr acceptance, as per enclosed vouchers, the very advantageous bets
mbout these absolute morals. Should you accept the whole (which we
Strongly recommend), you will please forward stake money by return
and retun vouchers ; if only a portion, return same, with stake money,
and a corrected voucher to amount of stake will be at once forwarded
to yon. In the remote contingency of your not acceptinj^ any portion
of either bet, you will please return vouchers without a moment's
delay, that we may havt an oppoitunity of offering the bets to other
dienta.
Those who wish to back Pitchfork, Palmerston, and Minerve for a
place, can be on at one-fourth the odds, but to no greater amount than
a j^50 stake.
The secret of forcing the voucher, therefore, lay in the
fact of offering far longer prices than could be obtained of
any one who intended to pay when the races were over ; for
on June 6th, 1872, the day on which the vouchers were
drawn, the market prices, as quoted in the papers Mr
Rawlings advertised in, were 10 to i against Palmerston for
the Ascot Stakes; 15 to i against Pitchfork for the Royal
Hunt Cup; and 10 to i against Minerve for the Northum-
berland Plate. Now as double the fair price is offered, and
as the quoted market represents the odds which are laid at
the chief clubs by the chief men, who can say that the victims
of Rawlings deserve pity? The ability of Rawlings & Co.
as tipsters is strangely shown in this transaction. In their
circular, Pitchfork, Palmerston, and Minerve are their
selections for the several races, even to people who only
accepted their advice and did not intrust them with com-
missions. They assert that they have positive information
that these horses cannot lose. Under the head of '* Royal
Hunt Cup," and perfectly independent of anything but the
private-advice department, they say, in reference to Pitch-
fork : " This is a * Woodyeates moral,' and all must be on.
Every now and then this influential coterie throws in for a
Iff STORY OF ADVEHTlSfKG,
fortune, and when ihey do, the good thing invariably comes
off. Wc have never missed the winner of this race, and
now, with all confidence, we assure every client that no
better opportunity could possibly occur of land ing a rich And
substantial stake. Some of our clients will neglect the oppor-
tunities we frequently lay before them ; but on this occasion
as the price is so liberal, we do heartily hope that one and
all will go in for a rattling good stake." Then about Pal-
merston for the Ascot Stakes, they tell us that " previous
to the great Epsom event, Palmerston performed such a
wonderful feat with the Brother to Flurry as to show lh«
stable that the AScot Stakes were completely at their mercy.
Mr Payne and the owners who train at Fj'field look upon
defeat as impossible, and will stand their horses to win \
very large stake. Wc cannot recollect a more genuine
investment, and must urge all to stand this moral freely."
For the Northumberland Plate Ihcy arc, if anything, stz
more confident, their article on it containing this: *'
other triumph awaits the French contingent in the Norll
umberland Plate, as Minerve, own sister to Miss Hervi
is certain to carry off this event." Rawlings's prophecii
might have turned out right if they had had a chance, but
he does not seem to have possessed even a hint as to whit
would be started for the various stables, for not one o(
the three selected ever saw the course on which victory
was to be so easily obtained. What sorry rogues nuke
fortunes nowadays ! It is more than likely that Raivlings,
or whatever this trickster's name was, iike his own selections
on tliis particular occasion, had never seen a race-course.
Strange as this may seem, it is not at all improbable ; for
there are lois of men who live by the turf, and who are as
conversant with pedigrees and performances of horses as can
be, yet who know nothing beyond what they see on paper,
and who, authorities on racing when in Fleet Street, would
be quite nonplussed if taken to Ne\vmarket among the
horses whose names they know so well.
SPy/A-DlJSS AXD HOAXES,
353
^Ve trust we have now made plain the two greatest
indies in connection with the turf, and at the same time
wm the unworthincss of even the pretence to knowledge
de liy tiicm. But vve have no wish that fL-aders, forget-
% the scamps with whom we set out, shall conclude i^is
Ipter with the impression that there are no thieves so bad
ftporting thieves, and so we will fall back on some swind-
{ advertisements of the general kind, from the general
El, which are not only as roguish, but as ignorant of
bjects selected as the effusions of Rawlings himself,
re is one from the IVakiy Tim^s'oi a couple of years or
RnDERS of 'Xi\\u IlOKOSCOrE. — Any person sending
B an addressed envelope, age, height, colour of hair and eycn,
Bet with 13 stamps, will receive within 24 houre a correct likeness
heir future husband nr wife, and dale uf marriage. — Address, A.
%iSSSt 2, Drake-strect, Red Lion-square, London.
B don*t mind giving Mr Wemyss — what an aristocratic
BC, by the way! — a gratuitous advertisement, though we
that the first customer he gets through our inslru-
lity will be the reverse of profitable. Wemyss can
:ttcr still at a better price, as other advertisements
lie is a milder form of rascal than Methralton, who
! offer as follows in several of the weekly papers, and
[ not content with his effect on the mind, but actually
\ to interfere with the matter : —
'NDROUS ARTS.— Vour future revealed— Seven yeais, six
ktamps ; lifetime twelve stamps. State age. Love Ch:irn\
sUmps. Medicine fur removing Gravel and Private disexses in
ays, without injuring the constitution, sixty stamps, Mclhml-
iblc Key, twenty-bix stamps. Bouk of Spiriln, 408 pagea,
wo ginmps. Millennial Prophecies, Gratis. Methralton,
, Daventry,
Mother kind of scoundrel, whose victims are like those
c home-employment robbers, mostly pox helpless
d whose villany is far greater than that of the dis-
z
354
HISTORY OF ADVERTISING.
creet Walter or the forcible Rawlings, is the fellow who
advertises constantly for actors and actresses, who may be
perfectly inexperienced, but who are to get salaried engage-
ments through his influence. His form varies, but this is
one of his concoctions, and is from the Daily Telfgrapk>^
•piIE STAGE.— WANTED, TWELVE LADIES and GENUE-
^ MEN (sigcs iG lo 40) for salaried engageinents. TolaJly iocn*
jwricnced persons may apply. — Communicale, by IcUcr oiUy, encloui^
photograph aiid thirteen stampi, Histrionicus .
This is either a swindle on the girls, or else on the mem-
bers of the British public who pay their money to sec
acting. It is i-umoured that now and again women moving
in a certain hemisphere give large sums for the purpose of
appearing on the stage. This may be, but we fancy the
managers are quite shrewd enough not to let outsiders
like the advertiser, Histrionicus, interfere in such delicate
matters. It might be as well to ask why the "promotioa
in absentia" dodges are still allowed to parade themselves <
in the leading papers, or in fact why people should be per-
mitted to take upon themselves titles they have no right to.;
Possibly the matter is thought too ridiculous to call far;
interference, but there ate other qualities besides those of I
ridicule and contempt to be found in connection with iJit'
following, which is an advertisement having no particulailjj
distinctive features, and therefore will represent
thousands of the same order that appear during the
and for payment of which a considerable number of spi
ous degrees must be manufactured ; —
ilari]^
.3
PROMOTION IN ABSENTIA.— Qualified surgeons, chcmisu, do*
ists, oculists, chiropodisls, and professors of music or arts asjtifM
ing lo a doctor's degree, may communicate by letter to Professor i
Qualified, forsooth ! why, any one Avho liked to pay could
obtain tlie most lionourable degree for the biggest idiot ia
tlarlswood Asylum. One of the chief difficulties to bfl
encountered over sudi a bad business as tWs is tlu
SfVJNDLES AND HOAXES.
355
the sham degree holders very often get irretriev-
mixed up in certain phases of society. Physicians,
ons, and gentlemen in similar position arc protected,
10 little dealing is done in medic^il, surgical, or chemical
es; but bachelors and masters of arts and doctors o(
are made by ihe score, the recipients of honours being
najority of cases men whose ignorance must be probed
e it is appreciated, but whose depth requires no delv-
vhatever. Now, when a man of this kind elects to
limself doctor, or puts B.A. or M.A. after his name,
those who know what little right he has to the degree
lardly quixotic enough to decline giving him the title
jvets ; so in a year or so, Dr Brown or Dr Jones has
m a hold upon his title as if he had obtained it by
■sonal examination under the most rigorous system ;
trangers who are unable to discover for themselves the
rthiness of the pretender, give him all the honours
I belong to the learned. Sometimes the applicant
lies the professor, and we not long back heard of an
ng youth who paid for the degrees of M.A. and LL.D.
^ cheque and a bill, each being for^ao, and both
dishonoured. It is a ])ity that these two scamps
)t be treated to three months in the House of Correc-
just to encourage all other professors and practisers of
and paltry swindles.
*re is yet another kind of rogue for whom we have
■who addresses his victims by means of advertise-
E This is the sorrowful Christian, who makes the
ssion of religion his stock in-trade, and finds it profit-
Vnder the guise of sanctity there is hardly anything
lich he will stick — he is the foulest and nastiest of all
oul and nasty birds who have supplied material for
:hapter. He is as great an impostor in his pretences
ly of the other swindlers are in theirs, and so it would
tst as fair to blame religion for the existence of the
iiponious scoundrel, or commerce tor the home-employ-
356
mSTOKY OF ADVEKTJSIXG.
menl agent, as it is to blame racing for llic welchcr
the forcer. Here is a sample of the whining and d<
picable hound, compared with whom, to our taste,
ordinary pickpocket is a gentleman : —
TO THE LORD'S PEOPLE.— A dear Christian tradesman, wl
about four months ago drew from the Savings' Bank j^6o, ht
all therein, to jjive lo a fellow Christian who urgently required thil
sum, " thus lending and hoping for nothing again " but from a boui
ful "God whose name is Love." is now in WANT OF FORI
POUNDS to pay all demands upon him, ere he accepts a call lo
ministry of the Everlasting Cospe), which he believes his Ileav*
Father is about to make known unto him. A lady, liis friend in CI
the Lord as revealed, in the power of God the Holy Ghost, tt
ventures in simple faith lo try the door of Providence in his
and would leave the issue in the hands of Him who has heart,
breath and purse of men at sovereign command. The smallest
will be gratefully acknowledged by ihc Advertiser. Address to
If this is not blasphemy, what is it? Imagine the
smirk of satisfaction with which the coin of the faithful
received and divided between the dear Christian tradl
man and his lady friend. There is someihing suspicioi
jocular about the wind-up of the application ; but then,
an old proverb informs us, pcoi)le who are doing well
afford the luxury of laughter. Another plan of the reUgi<
rascal is to answer applications for loans, and under
guise of philanthropy and Christianity to offer the requi
accommodation. By this means, and by the cxhibitioaj
certain lorms, he obtains a deposit from the unfortui
would-be borrower, and decamps. This is, however, buj
means of relaxation, and is simply indtdged in at intei
just to keep the hand in whde more important busiw
is in course of projection. The loan-office advertisemei
may to a certain extent be regarded as swindles, especii
when they promise money without security. Depend u|
it, no professional money lender is likely to let out his
without security any more than without interest. Still h
office advertisers are not swindlers absolutely, as they
SIV/XDLES A.XD HOAXES.
3S7
lend money and to some extent perform their contracts. The
papers at the present lime swarm with llit'ir advertisements,
and the curious reader may inspect them as tliey appear,
as for obvious reasons we must decline making a selection,
which might be the reverse of judicious, more especially as
the notices do not come strictly within our limits. Now and
again temporarj' offices are started, generally in poor neigh-
bourhoods, for the purpose of bagging the inquiry fees, and
with no intention whatever of lending money. Their
general ultimatum is, " Security offered insufficient ;" and
a good story is told of a gentleman who from motives of
curiosity applied for a loan of ^{^5, and gave as guarantors
two of the most notoriously wealthy bankers of the City.
In due course he received the usual notification, that the
security offered was not sufficiently " responsible," and that
the accommodation could not therefore be afforded.
This brings us to the end of our list of swindlers and
thieves ; and if we have succeeded in our endeavour to
show that the advertising rogue belongs to no particular
class or profession, and that it is idle to assume that any
rank or class is answerable for him, we shall be well satis-
fied. To our mind, and we have studied the subject rather
closely, tlie advertising swindler is a swindler /^r jf, and
attaches himself to anything which offers a return, without
caring what its title so long as it has claims to attention.
It would be a great pity, therefore, to assume that these
men have anything to do with the respectable forms of the
professions — from sporting to religion — they from lime to
time adopt, and a great blunder to blarae any body of
respectable men because a lot of rogues choose to assume
their business. As long as there are advertising swindlers,
some profession or other must have the discredit of them.
There are, however, still advertisement swindles of a
totally different description from any that have been here
mentioned or referred to. There is the swindle of the
newspaper proprietor who guarantees a circulation which
358
HISTORY OF ADVERTiSJNG.
has no existence, and who, when he lakes the money of
those who insert notices in his journal, knows that he is
comraining a deliberate and barefaced robbery. There
are in London, at the present lime, papers that have
absolutely no circulation, in the proper sense of the wor<
whatever; and of which only a sufficient number of copi<
is printed to supply those who advertise in them, according
to the custom observed in many offices. The readers,
therefore, pay a rather heavy premium for the privilege of
perusing each oihcr^s announcements. It may seem that
this state of affairs cannot possibly continue long ; but
whatever theorists may make of it, we can speak with con-
fidence of more than six papers which to our knowledge
have possessed no buyers whatever for more than six years,
yet their proprietors get good livings out of them — better,
perhaps, than they would if sale and not swindle was the
reason "of their being — and calculate on continuing this
state of things for their time at all events. After them the
deluge may come as soon as it likes. We remember quite
well an office in which six of these newspapers were printed
— that is, supposed to be printed, for with the exception of
an alteration of title and a rearrangement of columns, and
with, very rarely, the substitution of a new leading article
for an old one, these six newspapers were all one and the
same to the printers. Now, of course, had there been at^y
chance of one man buying two copies of this instrument of
robbery under any two of its distinct names, the swindle
would have run some risk of being exposed ; but so far
as we could discover, there was no desire ever shown to
buy even one, the circulation being exclusively among the
advertisers. A very small circulation which finds its way
in any particular direction may often be far more useful to
one who wishes his notice to travel that way than would
the largest circulation in the world ; but the intensest of
opiimiiits could hardly discern any likelihood of benefit in
the system just noticed
SlfAYDLSS AND HOAXES,
359
Still another kind of advertisement swindle — still more
distinct from the general run of swindles — is that by which
certain ambitious persons try to obtain a spurious notoriety,
Their desire is in no way connected with trade, though as
it has in its efiect the passing off of inferior wares upon the
public as though they were of first-class quality, the word
swindle very properly applies to their little trickery. These
men pine for recognition in the public prints, and so long
as their names are mentioned, no matter how, they regard
the task of achieving a cheap immortality as progressing
towards completion. Literature and the various phases of
art suffer most from these impostors^ who very often not
only attain notoriety by means of the specious puffery they
exercise, but by it obtain money as well. No one can be
blind to the manner in which some very small literary lights
manage to keep their names continually paraded before
the public ; and the puffs are so worded that the unthink-
ing are bound to believe that these rushlight writers arc the
souls of the literature and journalism of the present day.
Said the publisher of a magazine, who is not renowned for
cither taste or education, when it was proposed that a really
eminent man should write him an article, " No ; I dessay
he's very good, but I want men with names. I can get
Montague Smith and Chumley Jones and Montmorency
Thomson, all famous, and all glad to write for two pound a
sheet — why, I never heard of your man, and yet he wants
ten times as much. I never see his name in the papers."
This was the publisher who is said to have refused to pay
for the refrain of a set of verses except where it first occurred,
and demanded that the rest should be measured off and
deducted from the price originally agreed upon. So not
only in the case of the publisher, but in that of the public
do these small potatoes, who have a knack of glossing over
their mean surnames with high-sounding prefixes, render
themselves representatives of an institution the real leaders
in which are often quite unknown out of their own circles.
360
mSTORY OF ADVERT/SING.
For every thousand familinr with the name of ShaVespeare 1
Green, the writer of *' awfiils," there is not one who cao i
tell you who are the editors of the leading daily papera 1
and principal reviews. The anonymity of journalism MM
iis advantages, and very likely the directors of pul^^
opinion are concent to remain behind its curtain ; but it Is
through this same anonymous arrangement that the smallest
of small fry measured on their merits are enabled to parade
themselves as they do. There are, we know, many de-
servedly well and widely known writers for newspapers and
serials who are really what they profess to be, and who
depend upon nothing so much as merit for success; but
even they must admit the truth of what we have said, and
must often feel very like the apples did as they went down
stream in the fable.
It might be as well here to say a few wor4^ about the
advertisement swindles that are perpetrated by means of
photographs. It has long been acr>'ing evil that at certaio
theatres shameless women who wear many diamonds and
few clothes are allowed to appear upon the stage and play
at acting. Much training enables them now and again to
deliver half-a-dozen lines without displaying their ignorance
and peculiarity of aspiration too glaringly; but they cannot
be depended on to do even this much with certainty. |
Sometimes they sing in the smallest of small voices, and*,
few of them have mastered the breakdown and \.\\c can-^an^]
but their chief attraction consists, to the audience, in their
lavish display of limbs and "neck," and, to the manager,]
in their requiring but nominal salaries. One would havC'
thought it sufficient that such creatures should exhibit
themselves to the people who choose to go and see them;
but it is not so, they gel themselves photographed in the
most extraordinary attitudes, and their counterfeit present'
racnts leer out from the shop windows upon passers-by in
much the same manner as in the flesh — sometimes in very
much of it— they leer at their friends in the stalls and
Sir/X£>L£S AAV J/OJXES.
36 r
"boxes. Now and again we see the portrait of one real
'and justly-celebrated actress surrounded by these demireps,
;l>ut of late what are known as actresses' portraits consist
mainly of those to whom the title is convenient, or of tliose
who combine a little of the actress with a great deal of the
courtesan. Those artists whose portraits should grace the
photographers* show-cases hardly care to run the risk of
being mixed up in the questionable society they see there;
And we can vouch for the fact that in a leading ihorough-
Ifare, of twenty-five English portraits exhibited in a window
ias those of actresses, at wliich we were looking but recently,
there were not five that were really what they pretended
ito be:
Hf)f hoaxes which come within our scope a very noticeable
^mt took place in August 1815. A short time previous to
,the departure of the French Emperor from our coast on
his last journey, to St Helena, a respectably-dressed man
caused a quantity of handbills to be distributed through
Chester, in which he informed the public that a great
number of genteel families had embarked at Plymouth, and
rwould certainly proceed with the British regiment appointed
'to accompany the ex-Emperor to St Helena: he added
|further, that the island being dreadfully infested with rats,
his Majesty's ministers had determined that it should be
forthwith effectually cleared of those noxious animals. To
^facilitate this important purpose, he had been deputed to
purchase as many cats and thriving kittens as could possibly
be procured for money, in a short space of lime ; and
therefore he publicly offered in his handbills "sixteen shil-
lings for every alhUtic fuli-grown tom-cat, ten shillings for
every adntt femate puss, and half-a-crown for every thriving
vigorous kitten that could sivill milk, pursue a ball of
thread, or fasten its young fangs in a dying mouse/' On
ihc evening of the third day after this advertisement had
been distributed, the people of Chester were astonished by
ftn irruption of a multitude of old women, boySj and girls into
Z^2
HISTORY OF ADVERTIS/Xa
their streets, each of whom carried on his or her sht
ders either a bag or a basket, which appeared to com
some restless animal. Every road, every lane, was throD|
with this comical procession ; and before night a congrega-
tion of nearly three thousand cats was collected in Chester.
The happy bearers of these sweet-voiced creatures pro-
ceeded (as directed by the advertisement) towards one
street with their delectable burdens. Here they bees
closely wedged together. A vocal concert soon ensui
The women screamed ; the cats squalled ; the boys and girls
shrieked aloud, and the dogs of the street howled to match,
so that it soon became dillicult for the nicest ear to ascer-
tain whether the canine, the feline, or the human tones
were predominant. Some of iho cat-bearing ladies, whose
dispositions were not of the most placid nature, finding
themselves annoyed by their neighbours, soon cast down
their burdens and began to box. A battle royal ensued.
The cats sounded the war-whoop with might and main.
Meanwhile the boys of the town, who seemed mightily to
relish the sport, were actively employed in opening the
mouths of the deserted sacks, and liberating the cats from
their forlorn situations. The enraged animals bounded
immediately on the shoulders and heads of the combatants,
and ran spitting, squalling, and clawing along the undulating
sea of skulls, towards the walls of the houses of the good
people of Chester, The citizens, attracted by the noise,
liad opened the windows to gaze at the fun. The cati^
rushing with the rapidity of lightning up the pillars, and
then across the balustrades and galleries, for which the town
is so famous, leaped slap-dash through the open windows
into the apartments. Never, since the days of the cele-
brated Hugh Lupus, were the drawing-rooms of Chester
filled with such a crowd of unwelcome guests. Js'ow were
heard the crashes of broken china ; the howling of affrighted
dogs ; the cries of distressed damsels, and the groans of
well-fed citizens. All Chester was soon in arms ; and dire
SWINDLES AND HOAXES.
36.1
Fcxt
re the deeds of vengeance executed on the feline race.
ling above five hundred dead bodies were seen
ating on the river Dee, where they had been ignominiously
rown by the two-legged victors. The rest of the invading
St having evacuated the town, dispersed in the utmost
nfuston to their respective homes.
In 1826 the following handbill was circulated in Norwich
d its neighbourhood for some days previous to the date
kentioned in it, and caused great excitement : —
Si yames^s f/ill, back efthe Horse Barracks.
The Public are respectfully informed thai Sigiior CARLO GRAM
'ILLECROP, ihc celebrated Swiss Mountain Flyer, from Geneva and
[ont blanc, is just arrived in this City, and will exhibit wiiti a Tyrol*
Pole, fifty feet long, his most astoni:>I)ing Gymnastic Fliglits, never
fore witnessed in this country. Siynor Villecrop has had the great
mour of exhibitiiif; his most extraordinary Feats on the Continent
fore the Kinij of Prussia, Emperor of Austria, the Grand Duke of
ly, and all the resident Nobility in Switzerland, lie begs 10
form the Ladies and Genitcmcn of this City that he has selected St
fames's Hill and the adjoining hills for his performances, and will first
display his remarkable strength in running up the hill with hisTyrolesc
Pole between his teeth. He will next lay on his back, and balance the
same Pole on his nose, chin, and dilTercnt parts of his body. He will
climb upon it with the astonishing swiftness of a cat, and stand on hij
head at the top ; on a sudden he will leap three feet from the Pole
without falling, suspending himself by a shcncsc cord only. He will
&tso walk on his head up and don-n the hiil, balancing the Pole on one
foot- Many other feats will be exiiibilcd, in which Signer Villecrop
will display to the audience the much-admired art of toppling, peculiar
only to the Peasantry of Swiltcrland. He willconctutlehis pcrfonnancc
by repeated flights in the air, up and down the hill, with a velocity
oJmost imperceptible, assisted only by his Pole, with which he will fre-
quently jump the astonishing distance of Forty and Fifty Yards at a lime.
Signor Villecrop begs to assure the ladies and gentlemen who honour
him with their company that no money will be collected till after the
exhibition, feeling convinced that his exertions will be liberally rewarded
by their generosity. The Exhibition to commence on Monday, the 28th
of August 1826, precisely at half-past five o'clock in the evening.
On the evening of the aSth August there were more than
twenty thousand people assembled at the foot of the hill, on
k
364 inSTORY OF ADVERTISISG,
foot, on horseback, and in every kind of conveyance. Of
course Signer Carlo Gram Villecrop did not put in aa
appearance, for that best of all the reasons that could be
given — his having no existence out of tlie minds of the
perpetrators of the swindle.
We had intended to introduce as a congenial subject the
great bottle-trick hoax, but as we have already run to such
length, and as this famous piece of humbug will stand well
alone, wc gjive it a chapter to itself.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE GREAT BOTTLE-TRICK SWINDLE,
AT the close of the year 1748, or in the beginning of
Xi. I749» the Duke of Montague, Lord Portman, and
some other noblemen were talking about the gullibility of
the people, and the Duke offered to wager that, let a man
advertise the most impossible thing in the world, he would
find fools enough in London to fill a playhouse, and pay
handsomely for the privilege of being there. " Surely,"
said the Earl of Chesterfield, " if a mvin should say that
he would jump into a quart bottle, nobody would believe
that" The Duke was somewhat staggered at this, but for
the sake of the jest determined to make the experiment.
Accordingly the following advertisement was inserted in
the papers of the first week in January 1749: —
AT the New Theatre in the Hay market, on Monday next, the 1 2th
^*- instant, is to be seen a Person who performs the several most
snrprising things following, viz. — 1st. He takes a common walking
Cane from any of the Spectators, and thereon plays the music of every
Instrument now in use, and likewi.^e sings to siirprisin;; perfection. —
adiy. He presents you with a common Wine Bottle, which any of the
spectators may firht examine ; (his Dottle is placed on a Table in the
middle of the Stan;c, and lie (without any equivocation) goes into it, in
the sij;ht of all the Spectators, and sings in it ; during his stay in ihe
bottle, any Person may handle it, and see plainly that it does not
exceed a common Tavern Iiottle. — Those on the Stage, or in the Boxes,
may come in masked habits (if aijrceablc to ihem); and the Performer,
if dcsire<i, will inform them who they arc. — Stage, 7s. 6d. Boxes, 5s.
Pit, 3s. Gallery, 2s. Tickets to lie had at the Theatre : — To begin
•thalf on hour after six o'clock. The performance continues about
two hours and a half.
iC6
mSTOR V OF ADVERTISIXG.
Aofe. — \i any Genllemen or Ladies (after the above Performance}eilT»ff]
single or in company, in or out of mask, is desirous of ^eing a reprt»j
sentation of any deceased Person, such as Husband or Wife, Sistef or
Brother, or any intimate Friend of either sex, upon making a gratuity'
to the Performer, shall be gfAtificd by seeing and conversing with thetn]
for some minutes, as if alive ; likewise, if desired, he wi!i tell you j-oofi
most secrtt Ihoujjlits in your past Life, and give you a full view of per-'
sons who have injured you, whether dead or alive. For those Gentle-i
men and Ladies who are desirous of seeing this last part^ there ia
ptiv;ile Room provided.
These petformaiices have been seen by most of the crowned Headi
of Asia, Africa, and Europe, and never appeared public any uherc
but once; but will wait on any at their Houses, alid perform as
for five Poundi eadi lime. A proper guard is appointed to pr
disorder.
On tlie appointed day the lliealrc was crowded to excess,
but as there was not even a single fiddle provided to keep
the audience in good-liumour, signs of impatience soot
began to manifest themselves. ^Vhen the hour was pi
at which the conjuror had to make his appearance,
arose a horrible uproar, and the loud cat-calls, heightenet
by cries and beating of sticks, soon brought a person on the
stage, who, amidst endless bowing and scraping, declared
that if the performer did not appear within a quarter of an
hour, the money should be returned. At the same time a
wag in the pit exclaimed that if the ladies and gentlemen
would give double prices he would creep into a pint bottle.
Scarcely was the quarter of an hour's grace elapsed, when
a gentleman in one of the boxes seized a lighted candle
and threw it on the stage. This was the signal for a
general outbreak, the benches were torn up and everything
that could be moved was thrown about. The greater part
of the audience made the best of their way out of the house,
the rush to the doors being so dreadful that wigs, hats,
cloaks, and dresses, were left behind and lost. Meantime
the mob remained and almost gutted the building: the
wood was carried into the street and made into a mighty
bonfire, whilst the curtain n'as hoisted upon a pole by
THE, GREA T BO TTIE- THICK SWINDLE,
367
r
^Hb flag. Of the conjuror nothing was ever heard, but
'roe affair gave rise to a number of curious advertisements.
^he Duke of Cumberland having lost his sword in the
^Beral panic, it was advertised in the following manner : —
^TOST, last Monday nighl at the Little Play house in tlie Hay market,
J—' a Sword with a gold Hilt and cutting Blade, witli a crim&on and
gold Swordknot lied round the ITilL Whoever brings it to Mr Che-
VCoix's Toy shop, over against Great Suffolk Street, near Chearin*
l^ftps, shall receive thirty Guineas reward, and no Qucktiuns asked.
[t was probably a Jacobite who answered this by the
lowinc; : —
FOUND entangled in the slit of a Lady's demolished smock Petticoat,
a gold hilled Sword, of miLrtial length and temper, nothing worse
for wear, wiUi tlie Spey cuhoiisly wrought on one side of the blade,
and the Scheldt on the oilier ; supposed to have been stolen from the
plump &ide of a great Genera), in his precipitate retreat from the
Baltic of Bottle-Noodles, at Station Footc. Enquire at the Quart
Bottle and Musical Cane in Potter's Row.
^^^*B, — Every word of a certain late advertisement is true, except
^fffiie advertisement.
^^Koote having been blamed by many for the occurrence
PH%his disgraceful hoax, excused himself by an advertise-
ment, in which he threw the blame upon Potter, the pro-
prietor of the playhouse, whom Foote had vi^arned that
he thought a fraud on the public was intended. To this
Potter replied by a counter-advertisement, explaining the
precautions he had taken : how he had not allowed the
conjuror or any of his men to take the money, but placed
his own servants at the door, and how he would have re-
turned it all, but that the house was sacked and tlie takings
stolen. On the 20th of January there appeared an ad-
I vertiscment of Potter's, which ran as follows : —
^B/HEREAS a letter signed S. M. dated the iSlh instant, was sent
^^^ yesterday by the Penny Post, directed to Mr Potter, in the
Hay market; which by the contents seems to come from the person
who took Mr Potter's Theatre, for Monday last ; wherein he complains
of much ill uiaye, and msi>t:> Uiat the Man can perform the things he
368
HISTORY OF ADVEKTISiiXG,
ftdvertised, and would have perfomied Ihcm, and wai actually ni«
Coach in order to comc» lm( was inlimidatcd by two Gmllcmen vhi
came from the Gun Tnvem, who told bim he would be taken up if hi
performed : nnd m his Letter he threatens, that in ca^c Mr Potter
not give him £22, which he says he was out of pocket, ilui he wi
apply to some Court of Lnw or Equity, for justice 1 He aUo desires
answer in this Paper — In answer (o which, S. M. isdeiired to aj
personally and to i;ivc an Account of his Name and pLicc of Abode ; and'
he shall have such Satisfaction as in justice deserves.
John PoTTEiL
The same paper also contained the following exculpa
tion : —
■\17HERKA.S the Public was on Monday last Kxscly abused by
■ " Impostor, who pretended to peiforni what was iraprocticablj
at tlic Theatre in the Hay market ; tlie same imposition some evi
minded villains imagined John Coiistos, Lapidary, to be the author
'ITiis is to assure the Public that the said Juhn Coiistoshad never
Design, nor ever hired or caustd to be hired, ihe House on any occasit
whatever; and to caution those his Enemies, who are the Authors
this Report, not to assert a thing which they know to be a gross Falsitf ]
And there are those who are ready lo attest on Oath that he was
their company that Evening, and was at the Theatre as a spectator
John Codstos.
Many attempts were made to fathom the depth and di
cover the origin of this hoax, and several humorous expl
nations were given in tlae papers, among them being
following :^
WHEREAS Yarious stories have been told the Public, ab<nit<
Man and the Bottle, the following account seems to be the l>etf^
as yet given of thai odd Affair ; viz. A Gentleman went lo him the sanw
evening he was to perform in the Haymatkcl, and asking him ulut
he must have lo perform lo him in private, he said ^^5, on wliich they
agreed ; and the Conjuror getting ready to go into the Ilottlc. which
was set on a Table, the gentleman having provided a Parcel of Corks,
fitted one to the Bottle ; then the Conjuror, having darkened ihc Room
tA much as was neccssar>', at lost with much squeezing got into the
Holtlc, which, in a moment the Gentleman corked np, and whipt into his
Pocket, and in great haste and seeming confusinn, went out of the
House, lelling the Servants who waited at the door, that their Martcr
had bewitched him, and bid them go in and lake care of him. Thttf
'i:;:-. creat roi'i LE-T:::rr^ Mr/::/':/ . _v''>
the poor Man bcinf; Lit funist-lf. in bcliii; coiiIuii.hI in llic Iluttlc an 1 In
a Gentleman's Pocket, could not be in another Place ; fur lie never
advertised he would go into two Bottles at one and the same time.
He is Mill in the Gentleman's custody^ who uncorks him now and then
to feed him; but his long Confinement has so damped his Spirits, that
Intteart of itinging and dancing, he is perpetually crying and cursing
Us ill Fate. But though the Town have been disappointed of seeing
him go into the Bottle, in a few days they will have the pleasure of sec*
ing him come out of tlie Bottle ; of which timely notice will be given
in the daily Papers.
Pamphlets ridiculing the public for its gullibility issued
from the press with alanning rapidity, and advertisements
of performances equally impossible as the bottle-hoax
continued to be inserted in the papers for several weeks
after. Among them were the following : —
Lately arrived from Italy ^
SIGNOR CAPITELLO JUMPEDO a surprising Dwarf, no taller
than a common Tavern Tobacco Pipe: who can perform many
wonderful Equilibreson the slack or tight Rope : likewise he will trans-
fiinn his Body in above ten thousand different Shapes and Postures,
■nd after he has diverted the Spectators two Iiotirs and a half, he will
tftH kis Mouth wide and jump down his own Throat ! He being the
most wonderfullest Wonder of Wonders, as ever the World wondered
tt, would be willing to join in performance with that surprising Musi-
cian, on Monday next in the Hay market. He is to be spoke wiUi at
the Black Raven in Golden Lane, everyday from seven till twelve, and
from two to all day long.
This was also an emanation caused by the current excite-
ment, and was published January 27, 1749 :^
'PJON JOHN DE NASAQUITINE, sworn Brother and Companion
^— ' to the Man that was to have jumped into the Bottle at the Little
Theatre in the Hay market, on Monday the i6th past ; hereby invites
all mch as were then disappointed to repair to the Theatre aforesaid
on Monday the 30th ; and that shall be exhibited unto them, which
never has heretofore, nor ever will be hereafter seen. All such as
shall swear upon the Book of Wisdom that they paid for seeing the
Bottle Man will be admitted gratis ; the rest at Gotham prices.
And then the public were treated to this, for the purpose
of keeping up the interest : —
2 A
370 mSTORY OF ADVERTISING,
Zo/r/r arrived from Ethitfjvt,
THE most ironderfu] and surprising Doctor Benimde Za
POANCO, Oculist and Body Surgeon to Empwrorof Mono<
who will pcrfonn on Sunday next, at Ihc liltJc T in
market, the following surprising Operations ; vit. ist. He dcdl
one of the Spectators only to puU out his own Eyes, •which as 1
he has done, the Doctor will shew them to any Lady or Genttcmj
present, to convince them there ix no Cheat, and then replace t]
the Sockets, as perfect and entire as ever. 2dly. He desires ann
or other, to rip up liis own Belly, which when he has done, hd
out any Equivocation] takes out his I)owei!», washes them, and 1
tliem to their place, without the Person's suffering the least hurt. |
He opens the head of a J of P , takes out his Brail
exchanges them for those of a Calf ; the Brains of a Beau for Ihoi
Ass, and the Heart of a Bully for that of a Sheep : which OperatJt
render the Persons more sociable and rational Creatures tluui til
were in their Lives. And to convince the town that no impos
intended, he desires no Money until the Performance is over.
5 guin. Pit 3. Gallery z.
jV.A— The famous Oculist will be there, and honest
F H will come if he can. Ladiei may come
so may Fribbles. The Facility and Clergy gratis. The Orator
there, but is engaged.
Money seems to have been at least as plentiful as
those days, for, from a lot of other notices bearing <
subject, we take this : —
TAis is tp im/orm the Pubtk,
THAT notwithstanding the great Abuse th.it has been put n
Gentry, there is now in Town a Man, who instead of creep
creepj
a Quart or Pint Bottle, -will change himself into a Rattie ; which hi
will please both young and old. If this Person meets with eno
ment to this AdN'erlisemenl, he will then acquaint the Gentry wli
when he performs.
Strange as it may seem, and notunthstanding all t
pendilure of wit and humour tipon the credulity <
limes that had been made, one showman still tlioughfl
wfl-s room left for a further attempt at attracting the
with the tenant of a bottle. Very soon after the greaJ
he published the following advertisement, which sho
7iIE GR£A T BOTTLE- TRICK SWINDLE.
371
desire some industrious people have to avail themselves of
the general disposition of the time. The faculty of imitation
is very largely developed nowadays, as witness what follows
as soon as any enterprising theatrical manager makes "a
hit," and so it is pleasant to find that an honest penny was
turned in humble imitation of the great bottle swindle : —
Tobeseen at Mr Leader's, the Old Horsesho^^ iniVocd StreH, Chcapside^
from Sine till Tit^rlvey and from Four to Seven 0' Clock,
Late/y brought from France^
A FULL grown MouSE alive, confined in n small two ounce Phial,
the Neck of which is not a quarter of aa inch Diameter. This am ag-
ing Creature haj; lived in the Phial three Years and a half without Drink
or any Sustenance but bread only. It cleans ont its little Habitation, and
bath many other pretty Actions, as surprising as ag;recable ; but par-
ticularly creates wonderful diversion with a Kly, and is allowed to be
an extraordinar)' Curiosity, never before seen in Euglaad ; at the Expense
of 6d. each Person.
Note. — Gentlemen or I^^adies who don't chnse to comc^ it shall be
carried to them, by sending a line to Mr Leader.
Like everything else of its kind, the excitement in con-
nection with the bottle-hoax soon gave way to fresh topics
of public interest. The trick has, however, been revived
occabionally with more or less effect ; and Theodore Hook*s
cruel, and not particularly clever, hoax, which made a
house in Bcmcrs Street notorious and its occupants miser-
able, was but a phase of the swindle just related ; and being
so, loses whatever merit it possessed in the eyes of those
who will sacrifice anything to a joke, so long, of course,
as it is original and docs not interfere with their own^
comfort or convenience. Deprived of its originality, Hook's
exploit stands forth as a trick hardly excusable in a boy, and
utterly at variance with the character of a gentleman.
Now in the bottle-hoax there was quite a diflferent element ;
people were inviied to the theatre to see that which they
roust have known was utterly impossible. In obedience to
the laws which govern human nature, they readily accepted
the invitation, and also, in accordance with the same laws,
372
HISTORY OF ADVERTlSma,
they resented the affront they considered had been put
upon them. A moral might be deduced from this, were it
not for the fact, that if any hoax analogous to tlie bottle-
trick were to be advertised to-morrow in a conspicuous
manner, the proportion of dupes would be at least as great
as it was in 1 749. Perhaps greater.
CHAPTER XIV.
QUACICS AND IMPOSTORS,
QUACKS have been in existence so long, have received
so much of the confidence of the people, and have
afforded such capital to satirists and humourists, that
hey have become almost a necessity of our existence, from
, literary as well as from a domestic point of view. They
Iso add considerably to the revenue, if only through the
(Dpost upon patent medicines; for though many may be
slonished and horrified to hear it, all patent medicines — />.,
11 medicines which bear the inland-revenue stamp — are of
.ecessity quack, and although many partisans may endcav-
tur to prove that in the particular case each may select, this
{ not so, the qualification must fairly be applied, if applied
0 anything, to all medicines which are supposed to speclfi-
ally remedy various diseases in various systems, no matter
rhal the peculiarities of either. It can hardly matter
whether the inventor of the general remedy be learned
toctor or impudent charlatan, the medicine, as soon as ever
1 assumes specific ]>o\vers, and is to be administered by or
0 anybody, is quack, not only in the proper acceptation of
he term, but in its original aignitication. Quacks are, witli
. few notable exceptions, a very different body now from
rbat they were in the last century, when they killed more
han they cured, and when drugs were compounded with a
ecklessness which seems quite impossible in these moderate
lays. Just and proper legislation has clipped the wings of
; impostors who used to trade upon the weaknesses
374
mSTO/SY OF ^DVEfir/SIXG,
of liuman nature, and with the exception of those pestlfer
practitioners whose advertisements are as noxious as their
prescriptions, and who find the fittest possible media fa
publication, quacks are no longer in existence except
purveyors of patent medicines, pills, ointment, and plasterej
and so if there is no cure there is also no kill. Formcrll
the quack prescribed and compounded, and then he xt;
indeed dangerous, and we cannot better prove this than by'
means of a remark in the GcntUmatis Magazine of July
1734 about Joshua Wanl, an adverlisemenl in reference to
whom is to be found in ttie historical part of this book.
The paragraph in the old magazine runs: "There was an
extraordinary advertisement in the newspapers this month
concerning the great cures in all distempers performed wilh
one medicine, a pill or drop, by Joshua Ward, Esq., lately
arrived from Paris, where he had done the like cures.
'Twas said our physicians, particularly Sir Hans Sloane, had
found out his secret, but 'twas judged so violent a prescrip-
tion, that it would be deemed malepractice to apply it as a
dose to old and young and in all cases." And again, in ihe
Obituary in the same periodical for 1736, there is an adver-
tisement bearing on this so-called remedy rather unfavour-
ably. It runs thus : —
Vetey Hart^ "E^. o( Lhu'chi'i Inn. About 15 Months ago he took
the celebrated Pill, which had at first such violent efiecls as to throw
him into Convulsions and deprive him of his Sight. Ou recovery be
felt into Consumption.
Joshua Ward was rather a celebrity about that time, even
among quacks, as the following lines from the G^ntlemaris
Magazine of July 1734 will show. The heading is —
Univ. Spec On WAvn^s Drops.
T^ Grt^ious ll'ijn/, you hoast with success sure,
-*— ' That your one drop can all dislcmpcrs aire
When it in S « fur/s ambition's puin
Or ends the Mfgtims of Sir James brain.
QUACKS AND /MrOSTOKS, 375
0{ wcHftdi'J conscunce vihtn it heals the smarts
And on rtjttxion glads the statesman's heart ;
When it to wumen palls old Af^ar — 's ^tsff
And coo/s Tore deatli ilic/rvfr of Ills ///j/;
When /' iJ it can give of wt/ a Au/^,
Make Harriot pious or lorima chaste ;
Make scribbling B — dg — deviate into «/«<•,
Or give to Pc^ more wit and excellence ;
Then will I think that your one DRot> will save
Ten thousand dying patients from the ^ave.
In the Daiiy Advertiser of June 10, 1736, there is a puff
Advertisement for Wanl, which runs ; —
We hear that by ihe Queen's appointment, Joshua Ward, Eiq ; and
eight or ten persons, who in extraordinary Cases have receiv'd great
benefit by taking his remedies, attended at the Court at Kensington on
iDonday night bit, and his patients were examin'd before her Majesty
by three eminent surgeons, several persons of quality being present,
vrbei) her Majesty was graciously picas'd to order money to be dis-
tnbuted amongist the jKiticnts, and congratulated Mr Ward on his
great success.
In the Grub Street Journal oi June 24 of the same year
is an article on the paragraph, in which it is stated that only
seven persons attended at the palace, and that these were
proved to be impostors who were in collusion with Ward.
Th.^ Jourtta/ is very strong against the quack, and the article
concludes with the following lines, which are in fact a sum-
mary of what has been said in the criticism upon Ward's
fresh attempt to gull the public : —
Sex'en wcndcrful Cures,
One felt his sharp rheumatic pains no more :
A Second saw much better than before:
Three cur'd of stone, a dire disease much sadder,
Who still, *tis thought, have each a stone in bladder:
A Sixth brought gravel bottled up and cork'd,
Which Drop and Pill^ he say'd, by urine wnrk'd ;
But Questions, nsk'd the Patient, all unraveM'd ;
Much more tlian wliorii the Doctor then was gravcU'd.
The Ixst a little Woman but great glutton,
Who at one meal eat two raw legs of mutton :
fei^
376 HISTOR Y OF ADVERTISiNG.
Not wonder, since wiihiii her stomach lay
A Wolf, that gap'tl for victuals night and day :
But when he smelt the Pill, he strait for shelter
Run &]ap into her belly helter skelter.
There is no necessity to take trouble for the purpose of
discovering the origin of quacks. It is evident that they
•*came natural" as soon as ever there was a chance for
them, and it is but right to suppose that before quackery
became a question of money-making, it had an existence,
the outcome of a love people have innately for prescribing
and administering to each other, relics of which may stil
be seen in out-of-the-way parts of the countr)'. Some
people imagine that quackery and the belief, still current in
various parts of Great Britain, that a seventh son, particu-
larly if the son of a seventh son, possesses medical powets,
had originally something to do with each other. That
quackery in general was caused by this quaint conceit is
not to be supposed, yet the belief in the seventh-son
doctrine is well worthy of note. The vulgar mind seems
from the earliest ages to have been impressed by the nura-.
ber seven, and there are various ways of accounting for]
this. Chambers, in his " Book of Days," says that it
easy lo see in what way the Mosaic narrative gave sanctit)
to lliis number in connection with the days of the week|
and led to usages which influence the social life of all thi
countries of Europe. *' But a sort of mystical goodness
power has attached itself to the number in many oth(
ways. Seven wise men, seven champions of Christendoi
seven sleepers, seven-league boots, seven ages of man, sevci
hills, seven senses, seven planets, seven metals, seven sisters,'
seven stars, seven wonders of the world — all have had their
day of favour ; albeit that the number has been awkwardly
interfered with by modern discoveries concerning metals,}
planets, stars, and wonders of the world. Added lo th<
above Hst is the group of seven sons, especially in relatioi
lo the youngest or seventh of the seven ; and more cspccii
QUACKS AKD IMPOSTORS, 377
ally still if this person happen to be the seventh son of a
seventh son. It is now perhaps impossible to discover in
what country, or at what time, the notion originateil, but a
notion there certainly is, chiefly in provincial districts, that
a seventh son has something peculiar about him. For the
most part, the imputed pecuharity is a healing power, a
faculty of curing diseases by the touch, or by some other
means. The instances of this belief are numerous enough.
There is a rare pamphlet called * The Quack Doctor's
Speech,' published in the time of Charles II. The reckless
• Earl of Rochester delivered this speech on one occasion,
when dressed in character, and mounted on a stage as a
charlatan. The speech, amid much that suited that licen-
tious age, but would be frowned down by modern society,
contained an enumeration of the doctor's wonderful quali-
ties, among which was that of being a 'seventh son of a
seventh son/ and therefore clever as a curer of bodily ills.
The matter is only mentioned as affording a sort of proof of
the existence of a sort of popular belief In Cornwall, the
peasants and the miners entertain this notion; they believe
that a seventh son can cure the king's evil by the touch.
The mo<le of proceeding usually is to stroke the part
affected thrice gently, to blow upon it thrice, to repeat a
form of words, and to give a perforated coin, or some other
object, to be worn as an amulet. At Bristol, about forty
years ago, there was a man who was always called ' doctor '
simply because he was the seventh son of a seventh son.
The family of the Joneses of Muddfi, in Wales, is said to
have presented seven sons to each of many successive gen-
erations, of whom the seventh son always became a doctor
— apparently from a conviction that he had an inherited
qualification to start with. In Ireland, the seventh son of
a seventh son is believed to possess prophetical as well as
healing power. A few years ago a Dublin shopkeeper
finding his errand-boy to be generally very dilatory in his
duties, inquired into the cause, and found that the boy,
378
mSTORY OF ADVERTISiXG,
being the seventh son of a seventh son, his services
often in requisition among the poorer neighbours, in a waj
that brought in a good many pieces of silver. Early in lh<
present century there was a man in Hampshire, the seventf
son of a seventh son, who was consulted by the ^-illagen
as a doctor, and who carried about with him a collection of
crutches and sticks, purporting to have once belonged to
persons whom he had cured of lameness. Cases are not
wanting, also, in which the seventh daughter is placed upon
a similar pinnacle of greatness. In Scotland the spaewife
or fortune-teller frequently announces herself as the seventh
daughter of a seventh daughter, to enhance her claims to
prophetic power. Even so late as 1851, an inscription was
seen on a window in Plymouth, denoting that a certain
doctress wss the third seventli daughter \ — which the world
was probably intended to interpret as the seventh daughter
of the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. ....
France, as well as our own country, has a belief in the
seventh-son mystery. The Journal de Loiret^ a French
provincial newspaper, in 1854 stated that, in Orleans, if &
family has seven sons and no daughter, the seventh is called
a Mitrcou, is branded with a fleur-de-lis, and is believed to
possess the power of curing the king's evil. The Marcou
breathes on the part affected, or else the patient touches the
Marcou's fleur-de-lis. In the year above named there was
a famous Marcou in Orleans named Foulon; he was a
cooper by trade, and was known as Me beau Man ;.'
Simple peasants used to come to visit him from many Ica^u s
in all directions, particularly in Passion-week, when liis
ministrations were believed to be most efficacious. On the
night of Good Friday, from midnight to sunrise, the chance
of cure was supposed to be especially good, and on thi
account four or five hundred persons would assemble?
Great disturbances hence arose ; and as there was evidencCi
to all except the silly dupes themselves, that Foulon 1
e of their superstition to enrich himself, the p
Qt/ACKS Ai\D lAirOSTO/^S,
379
icceedcd, but not without much opposition, in preventing
lese assemblages. In some of the states of Germany there
sed formerly to be a custom for the reigning prince to
sta.nd sponsor to a seventh son (no daughter intervening)
of any of his subjects. Whether still acted upon is doubtful ;
but there was an incident lately which bore on the old
custom in a curious way. A Wcst-Hartlepool newspaper
stated that Mr J. V. Curths, a German, residing in that
busy colliery town, became, towards the close of 1857, the
father of one of those prodigies— a seventh son. Probably
he himself was a Saxe-Gothan by birth j at any rate he
wrote to the Prince Consort, reminding him of the old
German custom, and soliciting the honour of his Royal
Highness's sponsorship to the child. The Prince was
doubtless a little puzzled by this api)eal, as he often must
have been by the strange appeals made to him. Neverthe-
less, a reply was sent in the Prince's name, very compli-
mentary to his countryman, and enclosing a substantial
souvenir for llie little child ; but the newspaper paragraph
is not sufficiently clear for us to be certain whether the
sponsorship really was assented to, and, if so, how it was
performed." It is not at